Do you have private health insurance?
Many insurance policies include making donations to hospices. Woking & Sam Beare Hospice is a charity reliant on income it has to self-generate. Please let us know if you have insurance.
About Private Health Insurance
The Hospice is a registered charity and while we do get some NHS funding we have to self-generate two-thirds of our income from fundraising, the sale of goods in our shops and through other income generating activities.
It is widely reported the financial difficulties that hospices face. According to Hospice UK 96% of hospices are forecasting significant deficits due to shortfalls in funding.
We are proud to provide care free of charge to our patients, their carers and families. However, if you have private health insurance you may be able to claim, at no cost to you, and help us to keep providing care to others.
Many people have private health insurance, whether it be a personal plan or one that an employer has taken out on their behalf. This will cover the policy holder and, in some cases, partners and family members. Some health insurers are willing to recognise hospice services in the form of a donation to the hospice.
See below guidance provided by Hospice UK on what various different insurance companies specify in their policies.
Whether you are attending sessions at our Wellbeing Centre, are admitted to the In-patient Unit, or are under our care in your home, we may be able to request a donation from your insurance provider.
This is a voluntary request and there is absolutely no obligation for you to share details of your insurance with us. Regardless of whether you have private health insurance or not our services will remain free of charge and the level and standard of care we will provide will not be affected.
Which insurance companies are likely to donate?
See the drop down options below on different insurance companies for more information provided by Hospice UK. This is not exhaustive and even if your insurance provider is not listed, please let us know as there may be something in your policy, where your provider is happy to make a donation.
Aviva
Aviva currently has two policies that include making donations for palliative and end of life care.
Aviva Healthcare
Aviva Healthcare will pay £70 per night to the hospice. This is for a maximum of 10 nights in one policy year. This donation applies when the policy holder receives care as a patient of a hospice and Aviva has previously covered treatment for the condition.
This benefit is also available under the core cover for the Aviva Solutions plan for businesses with 1-249 employees.
Aviva Cancer Cover
Aviva Cancer Cover will make a donation of £100 per night if the individual is admitted to a hospice, up to £10,000. Aviva will also make a donation to a hospice if the policy holder is visited at home by a nurse from the hospice. This will be a donation of £50 per day that a hospice nurse is with the patient, up to a limit of £10,000.
This benefit is also available under the core cover for the Aviva Solutions plan for businesses with 1-249 employees.
Axa Health
Axa PPP has multiple plans that include a charitable donation to a hospice.
‘Health For You’ Plan and ‘Personal Health’ Plan
The Comprehensive Cancer Cover option for both the ‘Health For You’ plan and the ‘Personal Health’ plan includes donation of £100 per night to a registered hospice charity when the policy holder is provided free treatment in a hospice.
Both plans also include a donation of £100 per day when the policy holder is provided free hospice at home care treatment instead of receiving treatment in a hospice.
InSpire Health Plan
The Comprehensive Cancer Cover option of the InSpire Health plan includes a donation of £100 per night to a hospice for end of life care as an in-patient or at home.
Bupa
Where a Bupa private medical insurance member receives end of life hospice care, whether at home or in a hospice, Bupa makes a donation to support hospices in their work. The donation is £200 per episode, up to a lifetime maximum of £1,000. The hospice donation applies to both cancer and non-cancer conditions.
General and Medical
Under the following plans, General and Medical’s health insurance policy includes a £75 hospice donation per night for the policy’s lifetime, up to £7500.
- Essentials Plus Upgrade
- Lifestyle (Standard)
- Lifestyle Plus Upgrade
- Elite
H3 Health Insurance
H3 Insurance provides a Hospice Cash Benefit of £50 per day, limited to £5,000, under their ‘Comprehensive Cancer Treatment’ plan and their ‘Enhanced Cancer Treatment’ plan.
PHC
PHC only provides corporate health insurance. Of their four available plans, only plans 1, 2 and 3 include a hospice donation. Under these plans, hospices providing care in the terminal stage of cancer will receive £75 per day, for a maximum of 15 days over the lifetime of the policy holder’s membership.
SAGA
SAGA’s Extended Cancer Cover includes donation to a hospice for three of their health plans: Health Plan Super, Health Plan Secure and Health Plan Saver Plus.
For patients with Extended Cancer Cover, SAGA will donate:
£100 a night up to a maximum of £2,000 a year when the policy holder is provided free treatment in a hospice.
£100 per day up to a maximum of £2,000 a year when the policy holder is provided free hospice at home care treatment in lieu of a residential hospice admission.
The Exeter
The Exeter’s core health insurance cover includes a donation of £250 to a hospice if an individual is admitted for care. This is covered for cancer and non-cancer conditions.
Vitality
Vitality’s cancer cover includes a £75 donation for each day spent in a hospice for end stage cancer.
With their Extended Cancer Cover, Vitality also cover the charges for a qualified nurse providing skilled nursing care at home, up to a maximum of £1,000 per day for no more than 14 days. This payment is issued directly to the nurse.
WPA
WPA offers a Hospice Donation of £70 per night up to £700. This is one of their core benefits and is included in all of their health insurance policies.
How much will the Hospice get?
This depends on the type of policy you have and who your insurer is. Some insurers specifically exclude hospice care and others which are listed above will be happy to make donations [guidance provided by Hospice UK].
Insurers may be prepared to donate anything from £70 per night for a maximum of 10 nights in one policy year to £75 per night for the policy’s lifetime, up to £7,500.
On our 20-bed In-patient Unit, if just two patients had private health insurance, staying for ten nights each, this would be a total donation of upwards of £1,400. This would be at no cost to you but will make a huge difference to enable the Hospice to continue to care for patients in the future.
Can I claim for someone who has now passed away?
If the deceased were supported by the Hospice and had health insurance, please do let us know. We can request a donation from the insurance provider for the care they received from us.
What do I need to do?
If you have private health insurance then please let us know by filling in your details on the form below or simply ask to speak to a member of your Hospice Healthcare Team and they will be able to assist you.
Once we have your consent, we will contact your insurer and ask for a donation in support of the care the Hospice has provided. You need do nothing more.
Whatever the result we will let you know the response from your insurance company.
