Medicash First offers cover that gives you money back for a range of everyday healthcare expenses an...
Medicash First offers cover that gives you money back for a range of everyday healthcare expenses and is provided by Medicash Health Benefits.
The First plan meets the needs of individuals who require help towards covering the cost of everyday healthcare.
The key features and benefits of Medicash First:
- Five levels of cover on a single basis or jointly with your partner
- Dependent children are covered at no extra cost, up to the age of 16, or 18 if in full-time education, for some benefits
- Cover is provided without the need for a medical assessment
- Payment of set amounts to cover the costs of expenses incurred for everyday healthcare such as optical, dental and professional healthcare treatments within annual limits
- Payment of set amounts for hospital stays or the birth of a child within annual limits
- Provision of a health screen voucher and access to discounted health club membership
- Personal accident and disability cover
- Access to telephone helplines providing medical advice and other counselling, lifestyle and advisory services
Product distributed through IFAs
The contract is available through the IFA network. Medicash will pay the IFA commission. A full range of documentation is available online.
Cover basis
Available on an individual basis or jointly with a partner
Plan available on stand-alone basis
The plan is for individuals and their families. It needs no connection with other schemes.
Premium a week
Single - £5.63
Couple - £11.26
Premium a month
Single - £24.38
Couple - £44.85
Premium a year
Single - £292.56
Couple - £538.20
Ages at outset
Minimum is 16 attained
Maximum is 65 attained
Benefit qualification period
Six months. There is no pregnancy qualification.
Benefits covered for children under single/couple plans
Dependent children are covered at no extra cost, up to the age of 16, or 18 if in full-time education, for some benefits.
Family and single parent family premiums
Single parent premium is £24.38 a month.
Family premium is £44.85 a month. Dependent children are included at no cost.
Maximum age dependent child
Covered at no extra cost up to the age of 16, or 18 if in full-time education, for some benefits
Children's inpatient benefit available
Children's inpatient benefit covered up to £1500 a year. This is calculated at £30 a night as an inpatient and up to 50 nights on aggregate a year.
Dental children's benefit available
Covered up to £100 a year
Optical children's benefit available
Children's optical benefit covered up to £100 a year. Refund percentage as for adult cover. Optical benefit, in respect of laser eye surgery, is always subject to a 12-month waiting period before benefit can be claimed regardless of any promotional offer that may apply to other benefits.
Physiotherapy children's benefit available
Paid on level four of the plan to the amount of £275 a year
Hospital parental stay
Parental stay in hospital is covered under the level four plan to the amount of £30 a night up to the child's age 18 (if in full-time education) to a maximum of 50 nights a year.
Dental allowance each year
£200. Children under the plan are covered to sum of £100 a year. Dental costs refunded to 100% up to the maximum.
Optical allowance a year
The financial allowance for optical care a year is £200. Optical benefit, in respect of laser eye surgery, is always subject to a 12-month waiting period before benefit can be claimed regardless of any promotional offer that may apply to other benefits. Children are covered under the plan to the amount of £100 a year. Optical costs refunded to 100% up to the maximum. Sight tests are covered within the optical limits.
Consultation
The financial allowance for consultation a year is £400. Children are covered under the plan to the amount of £200 a year. Consultation and associated costs refunded to 50% up to the maximum.
Radiological investigation - x-rays and scans
Consultation and associated costs refunded to 50% up to the maximum
Allergy testing
Consultation and associated costs refunded to 50% up to the maximum
Inpatient allowance a night
£60 for adults and £30 for children under level four of the plan. In either case the first night in hospital, or a single night's stay is excluded. The maximum nights a year as an inpatient is 50. The maximum number of nights that may be spent in hospital as an inpatient is 150 over a 5-year period. Joint inpatient is not covered under the plan.
Accident casualty admission as inpatient
Attendance at an accident and emergency unit is covered for inpatient treatment up to 14 nights a year.
Psychiatric treatment covered
Care in a mental hospital or psychiatric care unit within a hospital is covered for up to 15 nights.
Hospital day case
Treatment is not covered under the plan.
Hospital care for elderly
Geriatric care inpatients are covered for up to 15 nights.
Maternity/paternity benefit
The benefit for the birth of a child is £375 for one parent and £750 for member and partner.
Health screening benefit
Available to all adult members/partners under the plan. The discount offered by participating health screening providers is 100%.
NHS prescriptions
NHS prescriptions are covered under level four of the plan to the amount of £15 a year, a member and partner. The maximum number of prescriptions available a year under the plan is two.
Percentage claim refund for complementary benefit
The complementary medicine receipts are paid to the amount of 50%, subject to the maximum.
Treatments a year
The annual maximum which the plan pays for physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, reflexology, acupuncture or homeopathy treatment is £550. In each case children are covered under level four of the plan to £275 a year.
The annual maximum which the plan pays for chiropody treatment is £110.
Fracture cover a year
- Break of major arm bones (humorous, ulna, radius) £375 a year.
- Break of major leg bones (femur, tibia, fibula) £375 a year.
Personal accident
Personal accident cover is implicit within the plan. The plan pays £30,000 at level four, should the accidental death of a member/partner occur while the policy is in force.
Helpline available
Medicash First members have immediate access to its telephone helplines, for advice on health related issues such as diet and lifestyle, allergy and food intolerance, infertility advice and family health, or to discuss stress, debt, redundancy and bereavement or receive medical information, legal advice and home emergencies.
Worldwide emergency cover
Dental, optical, inpatient, parental stay, chiropody, birth of a child and personal accident cover are covered worldwide. Professional healthcare treatments, prescription charges, health screening and discounted health club membership are not covered worldwide.
Benefit available for gym membership
Fitness/gym benefit allows access to health club membership at discounted rates at selected participating establishments on production of a discounted health club voucher, which will be issued with the schedule of membership.
Legal advice
Legal advice is provided on any personal legal problem relating to UK laws. The service is staffed by legal professionals. Major areas of advice provided include motoring, property, employment, consumer, matrimonial and probate.
Homecall
Provides assistance in the event of an emergency to help render a person's home safe or secure, alleviate unreasonable discomfort, avoid damage or further damage and restore the main services to their home.
ANALYST'S COMMENT
One of the oldest and largest healthcare cash plan providers in the UK, Medicash has recently revised its product offerings. It now offers five products with features relevant to its different customer groups.
Reward is a company paid plan including dental and optical benefits, specialist consultations, professional healthcare treatments, stress helplines and face-to-face health screening and stress counselling. Active is available to individuals or companies and has a full range of benefits including cover for alternative therapies. Vitality is available for older existing customers and Smile is a corporate paid dental plan.
First, paid for by companies or individuals, offers everyday healthcare cover for dental and optical treatment, provides hospital inpatient and parental stay benefit, has a helpline and gives a face-to-face health screen every three years. Medicash's foresighted preventative approach to healthcare also includes access to discounted health club membership.
Cash plans typically offer a number of benefit levels. First has five premium levels ranging from £9.75 to £29.25 a month depending on the chosen level of benefits.
Level four, which in terms of the cover offered is well above average compared with other cash plans on the market, offers a comprehensive range of benefits for less than £25 a month.
A cheaper alternative to private medical expenses insurance, hospital cash plans do not cover the full medical costs but rather provide lump sums to help with the cost of certain treatments and inpatient stays. They are useful products and worthy of consideration for inclusion in a client's protection portfolio.
- Ben Heffer, Principal consultant, life and protection, Defaqto.
