Can I Continue Health Treatments Under a New Health Insurance Policy?

If your current medical treatment is through a private medical insurance plan provided by your employer, you need to understand the implications of your employer changing their health insurance provider, or leaving the job through which you are covered. 

Losing cover unexpectedly can have harsh consequences for anybody, so read on to ensure you know how to stay protected if your coverage circumstances change. 

Why might your health insurance treatment circumstances change?

Health insurance circumstances can change for a number of reasons, ranging from leaving or losing your job, to your employer changing your provider:

• Leaving or losing your job – Private medical insurance is tied to your payroll, meaning that your eligibility is dependent on your employment with the company who pays for your cover. Generally, either leaving or losing your job will mean your cover ends on your last day of employment.

• Switching to part time – Most employers only offer cover to full time employees. If you reduce your hours, you might find that your policy is no longer valid. 

• Company changes provider – If the company who provides your PMI chooses to go with another provider, the new provider will almost always become responsible for your treatment from the minute your contract with them begins, meaning that ongoing treatment at a hospital from the original provider’s hospital list may no longer be covered. 

• Hospital list changes – If your current specialist, hospital, consultant, or other medical professional is not recognised on the new insurer’s hospital list, your treatment may no longer be covered (don’t worry – we can help!).
  

Whilst the above risks are real, it’s unlikely that your employer would switch providers without letting you know, meaning you’d usually have the opportunity to explain your current usage of the policy to them in advance. Equally, if you leave or lose your job, you can speak with experts such as the Dragonfly Crowd team to determine how to continue your treatment seamlessly.

PMI Support with Dragonfly Crowd

Can you continue with private medical insurance treatment after leaving your job?

There are usually ways that you can continue with private medical insurance treatments even after leaving your job. To do so, you’ll most likely need to switch to a personal policy, and you may have to be prepared for higher prices. 

Many insurers allow seamless transitions from company to personal private medical insurance policies, particularly if you sign up within the right timeframe (usually 30 – 90 days). Contact your insurer, or speak with HR to proactively set up a personal plan which allows your medical treatment to continue uninterrupted. 

Continuing your cover if your employer changes health insurance provider

Employers usually change from one health insurance provider to another through a ‘continued medical exclusions (or CME)’ underwriting terms. This means that the insurer is agreeing to take on all employees in a ‘no worse off’ state, covering the same conditions and treatments that the old insurer did. 

In terms of continuing your existing treatment, this part can be difficult, because the transition isn’t always an automatic one. This is our job to help with this, our advisor should already be aware of any ongoing claims, and will arrange for the insurer to contact the customer to provide support in the claims process.

Ensure Continuation of Treatment under Health Insurance

Health insurance support with Dragonfly Crowd

Continuing ongoing care or treatment when your health insurance circumstances change can be confusing, and we find that many people just give up on their current course of treatment, or end up covering it themselves because they don’t fully understand their transition options correctly. 

At Dragonfly Crowd, we’re proud of our knowledge of the market and what’s available to individuals covered under private medical insurance. By working with us, your transition from one insurer to another, no matter the reason behind it, will be managed and simplified for you. Just get in touch to find out more.