If you've searched Google for private health insurance that covers deafblindness then you are probably for looking for trusted UK based health insurance providers that will cover deafblindness.
Our advice when looking for private medical cover that covers deafblindness is to speak to a health insurance broker. Health insurance is incredibly complicated and if you want absolute certainty that deafblindness is covered by your policy you should talk with a broker who can explain which providers will cover this medical condition and which will not.
There are many advantages to using a insurance broker but the biggest by far is that you're using their expertise at no cost. They are paid by the insurer (Aviva or Bupa etc) rather than you so it costs you no extra to use their services.
- Do you live in many different areas? Some will give you a lower policy premium than offers. A broker will be able to advise whats best.
- Do you have a hobby that may invalidate your insurance policy? A broker will know this critical information.
- If you are a couple and one of you has claimed on your insurance policy this year would it be cheaper to separate you both onto two different insurance policies?
- You've lean't you're at risk of developing a certain condition and want to know which policy provider offers the biggest amount of cover for it. A broker will know this instantly saving you huge amounts of time and effort.
You can call around every medical insurance provider you can find and ask if they cover deafblindness, however this will be a very time consuming process. Each insurer will ask for your medical history because its not normally a simple yes or not if a medical condition is covered or not.
Its much quicker to speak to one health insurance broker which will know which policy providers on the market cover deafblindness and under what conditions they do or don't cover it.
Deafblindness Information
Deafblindness is a combination of sight and hearing loss that affects a person's ability to communicate, access information and get around.
It's also sometimes called "dual sensory loss" or "multi-sensory impairment".
A deafblind person won't usually be totally deaf and totally blind, but both senses will be reduced enough to cause significant difficulties in everyday life.
These problems can occur even if hearing loss and vision loss are mild, as the two senses work together and one would usually help compensate for loss of the other.
Deafblindness most commonly affects older adults, although it can affect people of all ages, including babies and young children.
In older people, it may develop gradually and the person themselves may not realise their vision and/or hearing is getting worse at first.
Signs of a problem can include:
If someone already has either a hearing or vision problem, it's important to look out for signs that suggest the other sense may be getting worse too.
Read more about the symptoms of deafblindness
Visit your GP if you think your hearing and/or eyesight may be getting worse.
If you're worried about a friend or family member, encourage them to speak to their GP.
It's best to seek advice as soon as possible, as treatment for some underlying causes of deafblindness (see below) can be more effective if started early. Early diagnosis will also ensure the person is able to access local support services sooner.
Read more about diagnosing and assessing deafblindness
There are many potential causes of deafblindness. Some babies are born deafblind, but in many cases the hearing and/or vision loss occurs later in life.
Causes of deafblindness include: