What are the benefits of couples’ health insurance?

Having couples’ medical insurance, or what is sometimes called a ‘joint policy’ can provide you with access to fast medical care for eligible treatment instead of waiting for the NHS. As well as having the benefits of the comfort and convenience of private hospital facilities which may include more flexible visiting hours when your partner is staying in for their treatment.

Couples’ health insurance is the perfect way to cover you and your partner under one policy, giving you peace of mind that you both have the same levels of cover, access to the same hospitals, all with the same insurer. The benefit of this can help save administrative time, for example, at renewal, or if you need to make any personal changes to the policy, such as moving house or changing to a family plan if you were to have children in the future.

You will have one set of policy documents and will have the ease of one direct debit payment to have both of you on cover, insurers may even be able to provide you with a discount for having you both on one plan.

There are also options to add mental health cover for talking therapies and psychiatric care, annual travel cover for when you go on holiday abroad or further manipulative therapies such as chiropractic care or acupuncture.

Different hospital options are available, meaning you could have access to your local private hospitals, or you can opt to upgrade your policy to include access to central London hospitals like Harley Street or Portland Hospital for Women & Children. Some insurers will include all central London hospitals for children under 18 regardless of what hospital option is chosen for the family plan.

Are there times when a couple’s policy may not be best for us?

When we discuss your requirements, we consider both of your personal circumstances along with your individual medical history.

We do sometimes advise couples to take separate individual plans rather than a couples’ policy, this is usually when your medical history may require different methods of underwriting (how your policy covers your pre-existing medical conditions). As an advisory broker, we will make it clear what our recommendations are and our reasons for them throughout our conversations.

Do we have to be married to take couples’ health insurance?

It is not a requirement of our insurers for you to be married to take out a couples’ health insurance plan. As long as you live together at the same address and are happy to agree to the same cover levels and terms & conditions you are eligible for a couples’ policy.