If you've searched online for private medical insurance that covers hiatus hernia then you are probably for looking for trusted UK based health insurance companies that can cover your hiatus hernia.
Our advice when shopping around for health insurance that covers hiatus hernia is to speak to a health insurance broker. Health insurance is extremely complex and if you want complete certainty that hiatus hernia 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 insurance broker but the biggest 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 postcodes? Some will give you a lower 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 vital 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 medical condition and want to know which insurer 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 on the market and ask if they cover hiatus hernia, 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 providers on the market cover hiatus hernia and under what terms they do or don't cover it.
Hiatus Hernia Information
A hiatus hernia, or hiatal hernia, is when part of the stomach squeezes up into the chest through an opening ("hiatus") in the diaphragm.
The diaphragm is a large, thin sheet of muscle between the chest and the abdomen (tummy).
A hiatus hernia itself rarely has any noticeable symptoms. However, it can cause a problem called gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD).
GORD is where stomach acid leaks into the oesophagus (the tube that carries food to the stomach). It can occur if a hiatus hernia prevents the valve at the bottom of the oesophagus from working properly.
Your oesophagus can become severely irritated, because it's not protected against stomach acid. This can cause symptoms such as heartburn, chest pain, an unpleasant sour taste in your mouth, and swallowing problems (dysphagia).
You should see your GP if you have frequent and severe symptoms of GORD.
It's not exactly clear what causes hiatus hernia, but it may be the result of the diaphragm becoming weak with age, or pressure on the abdomen.
Hiatus hernia can sometimes occur in newborn babies if the stomach or diaphragm doesn't develop properly.
Hiatus hernia can affect anyone, but it's more common in people who are:
It's estimated that a third of people over 50 have a hiatus hernia.
There's also a rare type of hiatus hernia that affects newborn babies, which is caused by a congenital defect of the stomach or diaphragm. Congenital means that it is present from birth.
There are 2 main types of hiatus hernia. They are:
These pages mainly focus on sliding hiatus hernias. They can usually be diagnosed using an X-ray or an endoscopy, where a long, thin flexible tube with a light and video camera at one end is used to examine the inside of the body.
Read more about diagnosing a hiatus hernia.
Treatment for a sliding hiatus hernia usually focuses on relieving the symptoms of GORD, such as heartburn.