Give a little , get a lot . (HSA Healthcare)

Name: eiley123

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Product:	HSA Healthcare
Date:	12/08/07 (487 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Claims valid from day one , varying levels of cover , quick and easy to join

Disadvantages: I have not found any yet .

MY BACKGROUND
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I recently experienced ‘Sod’s Law’ first hand . I had paid into a health scheme for donkey’s years but ,having changed job recently, had let my membership lapse . I had renewal forms but ,I just never got round to filling them in and sending them off . If I had paid my subscriptions through my bank it would not have been a problem . However my monthly payments came out of my salary at source so there you go .I had only claimed for costs towards spectacle and dental treatment over the years with a rare claim for being a hospital day case patient .So two months after my membership lapsed wouldn’t you know something was going to happen . A problem with my spine has left me with mobility problems which seem to be taking their time to resolve .In desperation and after seeking advice from my G.P. I decided to try a Chiropractor .Of course treatment was going to cost and it wouldn’t be cheap . Hey ho , such is life .

At my consultation the receptionist asked f I was a member of a health scheme or had health insurance . Having explained the situation she recommended HSA and gave me a leaflet . Here is what I found .

H.S.A
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If I had wanted to rejoin my previous health scheme there would have been a six month qualifying period , unless enrolment was part of a special promotion . No such hassle with H.S.A. I read the small leaflet and decided to give them a call . Joining was quick , easy and simple . The person who answered was , friendly , professional and really helpful . She gave me a wealth of information over the phone and took some details . All they basically wanted was my date of birth , address and contact details ,and bank details in order to take the monthly payments .She told me that I could claim straight away and that my welcome pack would have my first claim form . The pack arrived within a couple of days and sure enough it included a claim form .I have made my first claim and will receive a new form back in the post .The welcome pack includes much more information than I have included here .

There were only a couple of extras that I was made aware of on the phone .Hospital inpatient claims were excluded for any existing medical conditions or existing planned admissions . Similarly maternity cover was not available from day one . I think there was a six month qualifying period but you would need to check that out .

There are two levels of cover .
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Each level has a maximum for each speciality that it will pay in any one year . The year runs from when you joined . So in my case it is from 07/08/07 until 07/08/08 .

One only pays up to 50 % of the price of Dental , Optical ,Allergy testing, Physiotherapy , Osteopathy, Chiropractic, Acupuncture , Homeopathy and Chiropody cover .The two payment levels available for this cover are £1.50 or £2.25 a week for an individual .
The other pays up to 75% of the same treatments and has four levels of cover . These are £2 ,£3 ,£4 and £6 a week for an individual . Please bear in mind that price is for an actual week so if you opt for £3 a week as I ,did £13 will be taken from your bank account each month .

For an example of benefits I will use my £3 a week payment :
-Dental cover up to £90
-Optical cover up to £90
-Consultation/allergy testing cover up to £200
-Physic / Osteopathy / Chiropractic/Acupuncture/Homeopathy cover up to £100
-Chiropody cover up to £50
-Maternity cover up to £100 per chid
-Hospital cover adult/child. In patient /day case/parental stay -£10 a night up to a maximum of £200.

The maximum weekly payment of £6 a week gives roughly double the benefits .

Claims are made by post and you just need to enclose a valid receipt .

I was told my first payment would not be taken from my bank account until the 7th of September and will be for two months . Therefore it will be for £26 . The leaflet I used to join had a special offer code which was to be redeemed for £15’s worth of Marks and Spencer’s vouchers .However when I looked at this closely the offer had expired at the end of July . Time does not like me at the moment obviously . However the person on the phone said not to worry and she looked for what was the current offer . I was offered the same vouchers or my first month free . I choose the vouchers as they are better value and I can give myself a much deserved treat . Hubby might disagree there .

RECOMMENDATION
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Obviously I have not been with HSA long enough to make a long term judgement . However for me it does seem a really good deal . I will use my £90 worth of dental and optical cover in the first year if past history is anything to go by .My £100 of Chiropractic cover is used already . So for me it has eased a necessary financial burden this year . Hopefully in time I will only need the dental and optical cover on a regular basis .Still at £ 156 a year the dental and optical cover alone will give me £180 back .

Even if you do not wear specs I still think it is good value cover .I suppose a lot of whether this sort of plan is right for you or not depends on your age and general health .For me at the moment I will rate it as 10/10 .

Additional points .
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Treatments such as Chiropractic must be by registered practitioners .
You are covered for treatment in the EEC as long as you are staying less than 28 days .There is a 24hr hour health helpline in operation 365 days a year .It is manned by trained professionals and is strictly confidential .The advice is free . Tel 0870 600 1505 ..
For questions regarding HSA Tel 0800 072 1000
Alternatively check out the website at www.hsa.co.uk

Thanks for reading
© Eiley 2007

Please note I have not checked out the on-line site .

Summary: Great cover ,for my old body .