If you've searched the net for private medical insurance that covers hepatitis c then you are probably for looking for established UK based health insurance providers that can cover hepatitis c.
Our advice when looking for private medical insurance that covers hepatitis c is to speak to a health insurance broker. Health insurance is extremely complicated and if you want absolute certainty that hepatitis c is covered by your policy you should consult with a health insurance broker who can explain which policy providers will cover this medical condition and which will not.
There are many advantages to using a broker but the largest by far is that you're using their insurance training at no cost. They are paid by the insurer (Aviva or Bupa etc) rather than by you so it costs you no extra to use their brokering services.
- Do you reside in many different areas? Some will give you a lower premium than offers. A insurance 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 policies?
- You've lean't you're at risk of developing a certain condition and want to know which policy provider offers the largest amount of cover for it. A broker will know this instantly saving you so much time and effort.
You can call around every medical insurance provider you can find and ask if they cover hepatitis c, 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 medical insurance broker which will know which policy providers on the market cover hepatitis c and under what terms they do or don't cover it.
Hepatitis C Information
Hepatitis C is a virus that can infect the liver. If left untreated, it can sometimes cause serious and potentially life-threatening damage to the liver over many years.
However, with modern treatments it's easily possible to cure the infection and most people with it will have a normal life expectancy.
It's estimated that around 215,000 people in the UK have hepatitis C.
You can become infected with it if you come into contact with the blood of an infected person.
Hepatitis C often doesn't have any noticeable symptoms until the liver has been significantly damaged. This means many people have the infection without realising it.
When symptoms do occur, they can be mistaken for another condition. Symptoms can include:
The only way to know for certain if these symptoms are caused by hepatitis C is to get tested (see below).
Read more about the symptoms of hepatitis C.
The hepatitis C virus is usually spread through blood-to-blood contact.
Some ways the infection can be spread include:
In the UK, most hepatitis C infections occur in people who inject drugs or have injected them in the past. It's estimated that around half of those who inject drugs
Read more about the causes of hepatitis C.
Seek medical advice if you have persistent symptoms of hepatitis C, or there's a risk you're infected, even if you don't have any symptoms. A blood test can be carried out to see if you have the infection.
Your GP, sexual health clinic, GUM (genitourinary medicine) clinic or drug treatment service all offer testing for hepatitis C. Testing is available at most substance use recovery services and also a variety of third sector services. Find your nearest testing centre.
Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent or limit any damage to your liver and help ensure the infection isn't passed on to other people.