Fresh research from Benenden Healthcare, a not-for-profit friendly society, indicates that hospital cash plans, often regarded as a cheaper type of insurance with fewer benefits, actually match up to a number of private medical insurance policies and even beat the more budget .
The statistics were evaluated by the number of benefits offered by the plans. The PMI Index from Benenden showed that the average number of benefits provided by PMI and cash plans is equal, at 21.
The research was carried out by Defaqto, the independent financial research company, and raises important questions about the value of respective health insurance policies. Benefits included things like dental and optical treatment at a basic level, expanding to physiotherapy, consultant fees, etc.
A spokeswoman for Benenden, Jackie Stubbington, said: "The UK health insurance market is growing in importance and consumers need a guide as to what is and is not available. That is why we have launched our index and plan to continue monitoring the market. It is striking that there is such a range of benefits offered by different providers but that cash plans do on the whole offer as many benefits as PMI. As our report says, cash plans are one of the financial services industrys best-kept secrets. They are a low-cost solution geared towards the day-to-day health expenses that we all have to meet. And best of all they pay out."




