UK FAQs
Information about the policy
Question.
How do I make a change to my policy?
Answer
Please see the Changing your Cover section.
Question.
What does 7.1a and 7.1b mean on the Policy Certificate?
Answer
These rules refer to the Underwriting chosen on your policy i.e. Full Medical Declaration or Moratorium. Please see your Policy Document for a fuller explanation.
Question.
Where can I view the rules of my policy?
Answer
The Policy Document for your plan, along with your policy certificate, forms a contract with the Society. The Policy Document contains all the rules of the plan and will be sent out to you when you apply to join and on renewal. We recommend you read this document thoroughly to ensure you are happy with your level of cover and understand how the plan works. You can view and print a copy of each of our Policy Documents in our Literature section. If you have any queries about your plan or level of cover, please contact Customer Support on 01392 353500 and we will be happy to discuss this with you.
Question.
Does my policy have cover abroad?
Answer
Exeter Care Low Cost and Preferred Plans are designed for residents in the UK and do not offer cover abroad as standard. Please contact the Society and we will consider each request on an individual basis. We strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance for any trips abroad.
Shared Care offers cover for in-patient treatment, under the Core Level, in the UK and European Economic Area. Please contact the Society before undergoing treatment and incurring costs to ensure the claim is eligible and authorised and benefits are available.
If you are intending to spend frequent time overseas, please contact Policy Review on 01392 353500 to discuss these changes. We hope to have an international plan which may meet your needs more closely.
Question.
How does an excess work on my policy?
Answer
There are various excesses available on a policy, please see excesses for more information on your choices and how they work.
Making a Claim
Question.
What happens in the case of an emergency?
Answer
Our UK plans are not designed to offer emergency cover. Private medical insurance is also not designed to cover treatment for incurable long-term illness or injury (known as chronic conditions) or for pre-existing conditions.
Instead cover is provided for the diagnosis of new conditions and planned admissions into hospital, to offer private healthcare to get you back to yourself again as quickly as possible.
If you require emergency assistance, the NHS will respond to your 999 call and take you to an Accident and Emergency Unit. Many private hospitals do not have the equipment to deal with emergencies so the NHS is the best place for you to be.
If you have a UK policy with eligible benefits, your consultant says it is fine to move you and you have been in hospital for 5 days or more (depending on the terms of your policy), you may be able to transfer to a private bed or alternatively, a private hospital.
In all instances, we recommend you (or a close relative) contact the Society to advise us of the situation. We aim to advise you immediately if you are eligible to use your policy for private healthcare or to claim Hospital Cash Benefit.
Question.
What process should I follow if a person on my policy dies?
Answer
In this instance, we would ask you to contact Customer Support on 01392 353500 to notify us of the bereavement. We will immediately put a note on the policy and ask you to send us an original or certified copy of the death certificate. Upon receipt of this, we will either cancel or amend the record, leaving the cover in place for the other people on the policy. If a refund is applicable, this will be issued on receipt of the certificate.
Question.
How much can I claim and How do I make a claim?
Answer
There may be certain limits as to the amount you can claim on your policy. These may be the number of days you can receive treatment or a monetary amount. We place these limits on the policy to ensure that cover is available to all members at an affordable premium. Please see the centrepages of your Policy Document for the limits on your plan. This with your policy certificate forms a contract with the Society and clarifies what we will and will not pay benefits for. It is easy to make a claim with the Society - see our How to Claim pages for UK Claims and International Claims.
Question.
How much will an operation cost?
Answer
Visit our Treatment Costs page for an indication of the costs of a range of operations. This information will enable you to decide on an appropriate level of cover for you and your family.
Premiums and Age on entry pricing
Question.
Why do you not offer a No claims discount?
Answer
Every year, we will write to you at least 3 weeks before your renewal date with details for the new policy year. This will include your revised premium and any changes that have been made on the plan.
If you are on an age at entry plan, the premium increases may be lower than you have experienced with other insurers. This is because of the way the Society rewards the loyalty of existing customers through our Age at Entry pricing - please see our Age at Entry pricing page.
You will also note that, unlike many other insurers, we do not adjust your premium to take account of any claims that you have made in the past year. We believe this feature (and not No claim discounts) is more in-keeping with our status as a friendly society.
Question.
How much do the premiums increase?
Answer
Our UK and International premiums are reviewed on a quarterly basis but once you become a member your premium will only be reviewed on your annual renewal date (unless local tax rates change).
If a premium is increased it will include adjustments for the cost of claims across that plan and arising from medical inflation - an increasing cost all medical insurers must cover for new treatments such as drugs or surgical developments to ensure you have access to the latest healthcare available. Because of these factors premiums tend to rise at a far greater rate than retail price inflation. See our Age at Entry pricing page for more information.
At renewal, the premium will not be increased on the following plans because of your age or you becoming a year older - see our Age at Entry pricing page for more information.
Our understanding is that this compares favourably to other insurers in the marketplace due to our Age at Entry pricing and other factors.
Question.
What is your Age at Entry pricing and why is this good for us?
Answer
Please see a full explanation in our Age at Entry pricing page and also in your Policy Document.
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