Private Medical Insurance covers all stages of Ovarian Cancer, say health insurance quote providers ActiveQuote.com

March is Ovarian Cancer Month, raising awareness about this often misunderstood disease. Whilst 6,700 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year in the UK, many are unaware of whether private medical insurance will fully cover all stages of the condition, from diagnosis through to recovery.

Cancer of the ovary is the fifth most common cancer among women, and can affect women of any age. As the symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague- pain in the pelvis, persistent bloating and difficulty eating- it has traditionally been known as the ‘silent killer’.

Advanced ovarian cancer may not be treatable, but early detection of ovarian cancer offers a 90% cure rate. All private medical insurance policies offer cover for diagnostic tests and scans, although budget policies may have an annual limit on the amount you can claim. For women without symptoms who are simply looking for peace of mind, Spire Healthcare offers ovarian cancer screening on a one-off fee basis.

Women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will usually need surgery followed by a course of chemotherapy. If specialist cancer treatment is important to you, compare health insurance quotes with full cancer cover. Full cancer cover will cover the cost of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy with no monetary or time limits.

Some insurers also cover the costs of drugs not available on the NHS. Avastin has recently been licensed as the first targeted drug for women with advanced ovarian cancer after surgery, but will not be reviewed for use on the NHS until 2013. Aviva, AXA PPP and Bupa have all recently removed limits on their cancer cover and will meet the cost of licensed cancer drugs, including Avastin.

All cancer drugs, including Avastin, are tested in clinical trials prior to being licensed for use. Participants in clinical trials are often among the first to benefit from experimental drugs before they are brought to market. If you want to be covered for taking part in a trial for ovarian cancer treatment, compare health insurance policies with cover for experimental drugs. Aviva will cover experiment treatment in full if there is enough medical information to support its use.

Whilst women with advanced ovarian cancer are now living longer and fuller lives, sometimes palliative care is needed when the cancer is no longer treatable. Chloe Hibbert of health insurance comparison website http://www.activequote.com said: "Private medical insurers differ in their stance on palliative care, so it is important to compare health insurance policies online to make sure you know at what stage your cover will cease. Aviva, Bupa and Exeter Family Friendly cover the cost of palliative care, even if the cancer is incurable."

Scientists do not yet know what causes ovarian cancer, but with a better awareness of symptoms and improved drugs the diagnosis does not have to mean the worst. If you carefully compare health insurance policies you will be able to choose the best treatment the UK has to offer, and gain peace of mind about your future health.

FACTFILE:
ActiveQuote Health Ltd is a health insurance broker, fully authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) number 501109 as a health insurance intermediary.

ActiveQuote offer free advice on private medical cover in the UK.

Confused.com medical insurance comparison now powered by ActiveQuote

Private medical insurance comparison website ActiveQuote is pleased to announce the launch of its latest partnership with Confused.com.

Launched in 2002, Confused.com was the first website in the UK to compare car insurance online. Now, Confused.com is one of the biggest and most popular price comparison services in the UK and generates over one million quotes per month for a wide range of insurance products.

Confused.com recognises that consumers want the best experience when comparing products online. That is why from December 2011 the Confused.com private medical insurance service will be provided by ActiveQuote, the only true medical insurance comparison website in the UK.

ActiveQuote’s technology will power the medical insurance price comparison on Confused.com. This “white label” partnership means that consumers use the ActiveQuote comparison technology on the Confused.com website, with any advice provided by ActiveQuote’s specialist medical insurance consultants.

Matthew Lloyd, of Confused.com said of the new partnership: “We are delighted at the appointment of ActiveQuote as our new partner. For specialist products such as private medical insurance, consumers are looking for an excellent online comparison coupled with excellent off-line advice and we believe that ActiveQuote have proven their leadership in both of these areas.”

Before ActiveQuote launched three years ago it was thought that private medical insurance was too complicated to be compared online. Many aggregators avoid PMI altogether, and the few websites that claim to compare policies do so on a rudimentary level, focusing only on price.

But with private medical insurance, price is not the most important factor. Low cost policies often exclude important benefits. So rather than showing the cheapest policies first, ActiveQuote presents the product closest to the consumer’s budget or renewal premium, with cheaper and more expensive options arranged to the left and right.

ActiveQuote’s unique online comparison tool allows customers to refine their search online, with immediate updates to the price instantly shown on the comparison page. Consumers can specify exactly what they want in a policy and the site will remove unsuitable quotes. Every variable can be tailored online, including excess, choosing a different hospital list or adding an option such as dental cover.

Dr. Richard Theo, Managing Director of ActiveQuote commented: “We are really excited about the launch of our private medical insurance comparison on Confused.com which is the one of the best known insurance comparison brands in the UK. It is a real endorsement of the quality of user experience and customer service that we have strived to achieve here at ActiveQuote.”

ActiveQuote Health Ltd is a specialist private medical insurance intermediary based in Cardiff, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
 
www.activequote.com