What is Medical Recovery Insurance?

Medical Recovery Insurance is a low-cost insurance protection product that differs from traditional private and corporate hospital cash plans by providing a range of financial benefits that are tiered to reflect the recovery time for a medical procedure.

Designed for both private individuals and employers, our policies represent a fresh approach to standard hospital schemes that offer set cash benefits geared to the time spent in hospital irrespective of the length of time an employee is unable to work.

Medical Recovery Insurance provides a vital injection of cash to cover all out-of-pocket expenses and a reduced income to help individuals and their families manage until they’re expected to return to work.

What’s not covered by Medical Recovery Insurance?

Generally we can’t cover any planned treatments arising from any medical conditions that a person has had in the 12 months prior to their joining for which they were aware might require a medical procedure.

In addition the following are not covered by Medical Recovery Insurance:

• Medical procedures which are solely for the purpose of diagnosing a condition such as biopsies, unless the biopsy requires an invasive surgical procedure such as a laparoscopy, or where a significant incision has to be made
• Pregnancy related procedures are not covered unless it is an emergency and unexpected admission to hospital
• Childbirth, whether natural or by Caesarean section
• Dental Procedures
• Recurrences of Cancer previously diagnosed
• Cosmetic surgery and surgery for weight loss
• Professional Sports

Is Cancer Covered?

Cancer treatments will normally involve an episode of surgery plus a course of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The episode of surgery will vary according to the operation but most cancer surgery will be classified as either Band B or Band C.

We classify chemotherapy as a Band C procedure and radiotherapy, which has a shorter recovery time, as Band B.

Medical Recovery Insurance policyholders can make one claim for the treatment of cancer during their lifetime unless the cancer is either a pre-existing condition or a recurrent cancer in which case it is excluded. A treatment for cancer can include a maximum of one episode of surgery, one course of chemotherapy and one course of radiotherapy providing that the treatment is for the same cancer.

No further treatments will be covered during the policy lifetime either for additional treatment of the original cancer or for a recurrence of that cancer in the same place or another place in the body or for the occurrence of another cancer anywhere else in the body.
 

How are Heart Surgery and Heart Attacks Covered?

Heart Surgery is included within the Medical Recovery Insurance Schedule of Procedures.

Heart Attacks may not require surgery but will virtually always lead to time off work, these are also covered with a Band B benefit.
 

What happens if a recovery time is longer than expected?

Medical Recovery Insurance benefits are graded according to the normal recovery times of operations that in most cases would allow you to return to light manual work. The benefits will not increase if you take longer to recover and will not reduce if you get back to work more quickly than expected.
 

Can a Medical Recovery Insurance benefit be used to help pay for private treatment?

Whilst you a person is free to spend their benefits as they wish, it is important to note that Medical Recovery Insurance benefits are calculated according to the normal expected recovery time and not according to the cost of an operation. Some operations may have a short return to work and a high treatment cost whilst others may have a longer return to work and a lower treatment cost. Benefits should therefore not be relied on to pay for private treatment.

Why are mental ill-health and most musculo-skeletal conditions which do not require an operation not covered?

Most employees with mental health problems can also continue to work and in most cases work is beneficial to their recovery and to your company even if they only work reduced hours or reduced duties.

Employees often only go off sick because of the generous sick pay schemes which encourage them to do so. Only a small number of employees have severe mental health problems that are incompatible with working.

Employees can usually do some work with musculoskeletal problems. If they are severe enough (fractures or needing surgery) they will be covered by the plan.

Is Key-hole surgery Covered?

‘Keyhole surgery’ is a layman’s term, so is not clearly definable. However all procedures commonly referred to as ‘keyhole surgery’ are covered, including arthroscopy, laparoscopy, nephroscopy, thoracoscopy, and many endoscopic treatments.
 

Won’t Providing Employees with Cash Benefits reduce their desire to Return To Work?

MyRecoveryCheque is there to help employees cope when they can’t work. The plans are designed to reduce an employee’s desire to return to work at a point where they are unlikely to be able to cope with work and therefore might well be putting themselves and/or their employer at risk by trying to work.

By remaining off work they will recuperate and provide a better service once they return. An employer considering investing in MyRecoveryCheque is likely to support such a concept. It is the equivalent of ‘sick pay’, but with payment limited so it is sufficient but does not encourage employees to remain off longer than necessary.