Despite the fact that UK citizens are entitled to free medical care on the NHS, more than 7 million people in the country currently pay for private medical insurance. Choosing to purchase health insurance in Britain is therefore purely a matter of personal choice.

People opt for private health insurance for a variety of reasons, the main one being that it will give them more choice, should they require specialist medical treatment. If a patient is treated on the NHS, they usually have little choice as to the consultant they are treated by, or the hospital in which they are treated. Usually, geography decides the locality of the treatment. With medical insurance, patients have a broader choice of doctors, consultants, treatments and hospitals.

More and more people are taking out medical insurance as NHS hospitals receive increasingly adverse publicity with regards to poor hygiene standards, more cases of MRSA infections and over-crowded wards. Patients would rather receive treatment in private hospitals that offer patients individual rooms with en suite facilities and more personalised nursing care, thus making a patient’s stay in hospital more comfortable. Additionally, with less pressure on beds and more resources, private hospitals are able to spend more time and money on cleaning facilities and, therefore, reduce the instances of MRSA.

With regards to serious illnesses, such as cancer, there may be certain treatments and drugs available privately, which are not paid for by the NHS.

Overall, though the main factor determining an individual’s decision to purchase health insurance is to avoid long waiting lists when in need of urgent medical care.