Child health insurance

It depends. Some policies need you to sign a declaration about any pre-existing conditions or issues that you know about. Others will require the child to have a health check or medical.

It depends on the provider. It could be 18 or 21 for dependents, but some will insure children up to 24 who are still in full-time education. If this is important for you and your children, check the age in the policy documents before you buy.

No, you don’t all have to live at the same address. Your child can still be covered if, for example, they live with their other parent but are still dependent on you or they’re at university.

Because policies vary so much in terms of what they cover, it’s hard to give an exact figure. The amount you’ll pay can also depend on how old your child is, which area of the UK you live in, the level of cover you want and your child’s medical history.

But policies don’t have to be expensive. Our comparison service will help you find deals from a range of providers, allowing you to compare prices and features to find the right deal. If you need help in understanding the different choices available, please call 0808 141 1244 to speak to a friendly adviser who can talk you through your options.

You could also try to lower the cost of your child health insurance policy by:

• Paying a higher excess – this will bring down the cost of the premium. Just make sure you can afford to pay the excess if you need to make a claim.
• Reducing your chosen hospital list – cutting down your choice of private hospitals might lower your premium or get you a discount.
• Adding a ‘six-week clause’ – some policies only let you claim if you can’t get the same treatment on the NHS within six weeks. This could help you get a cheaper premium.

Alternatively, you can buy a family policy and add your children on. This could work out cheaper than insuring everyone individually, so it’s worth comparing.

Find out more about family health insurance.

If your employer offers medical insurance as an employee benefit, you may find also that you can add your child or partner to that policy for an extra cost.

Private healthcare for children offers you peace of mind in the knowledge that, should something happen, your child will be looked after by medical experts in a timely manner. With private health insurance for children, your child will be able to benefit from these facilities and treatment options without the unexpected cost. Don’t worry though, even with a private healthcare plan, your child will still be entitled to receive free NHS care.

Here are some of the key factors to be aware of when choosing a policy:

• You can’t go private for everything. For example, accident and emergency treatments aren’t covered – though, of course, the NHS will still provide the care your child needs.
• Pre-existing conditions are usually excluded. For example, if your child has asthma when you buy the policy, asthma treatments won’t usually be covered.
• Your child can usually only use certain hospitals and treatment centres. When you buy a policy, you’ll typically choose a list of hospitals and treatment centres where your child will be covered. The broader the selection, the higher your premium will be.
• Insurance providers set maximum amounts for procedures. If you choose a specialist whose charges are higher than the limit for a particular procedure, you’ll have to cover the difference in cost.
• Your child might not always be treated in a private hospital. Depending on the policy you choose, your child may be put in a private patient unit within an NHS hospital or end up on an NHS ward rather than in a private room.

You can get a quote for just your child/children or a family health insurance policy that includes your children and/or your partner using our comparison tool.