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THE AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVE TO HEALTH INSURANCE
only £10.25 a month
Please note, on 25th May, our phone lines will close at 5pm for new members and 8pm for existing members. Both will reopen at 8am on Tuesday 29th May. You can continue to join or update your details online 24/7.
Why consider healthcare?
While the NHS provides a great service, increasing pressure on NHS budgets means that demand for services can outstrip the resources. This can lead to significant waiting lists for both diagnosis and treatment and could impact on your quality of life and long-term health.
Most people have to rely on the NHS alone, not many can afford to pay for expensive private medical insurance. Benenden provides a third way because we complement the NHS, we can provide healthcare for just £10.25 a month - a low cost alternative to Private Medical Insurance.
We help our members to avoid the worry and complications that waiting can often bring complementing the good work of the NHS by providing our members with speedy access to medical experts, and when the need arises, opening the door to private medical care in cases where they would face a lengthy wait for an NHS diagnosis or treatment.
We are not a medical insurer and our services are offered on a discretionary basis. The services we offer are subject to the resources we have available through membership contributions. We manage these funds and the services we provide carefully to ensure that we can continue to provide our healthcare support.
As soon as you join, you have 24/7 access to GP and Psychological Wellbeing Advice lines. Then, once you’ve had membership for six months, our healthcare can help remove the need for an anxious or difficult wait. You can request our assistance if your NHS appointment is over 3 weeks for Medical Diagnostics or over 5 weeks for Medical Treatment and Surgery.
This is particularly helpful in cases where a quick diagnosis is required, or the wait for treatment might significantly affect your quality of life.
The NHS provide speedy care for cancer, brain and heart disease, which are among the areas we don’t provide treatment for. Instead we use our members’ contributions to pay for healthcare that complements the NHS, making our healthcare a much more affordable alternative.
Special offer - £30 M&S gift card
£30 M&S Gift card when you join and add 2 or more people to your membership. Offer ends 5th August 2018. Terms & conditions apply.
No commitment and no annual contract
If you decide at any point Benenden Health isn’t right for you, you can cancel at any time.
Everything you get for just £10.25 a month
From day 1 members have the reassurance of convenient access to medical experts through 24/7 helplines for concerns about their physical or mental health.
Then, after just 6 months, members are able to request private diagnosis, treatment and physiotherapy.
Services available from day 1 of membership
GP 24/7 and private prescription service
Round the clock reassurance knowing you can speak to a qualified UK-based GP day or night. Accessed by phone 24-hours a day, or online via a face-to-face eConsultation during the working week.
24/7 Psychological Wellbeing Helpline
Speak to an experienced therapist 24/7 for support in dealing with conditions like anxiety, depression, bereavement or relationship problems.
Independent Care Advice
Information and advice about care issues including sourcing short or long-term care whether this is at home, residential, convalescent or respite.
Additional benefits
Members receive our quarterly health and wellbeing magazine Be Healthy. In addition, members have access to discounts across a range of Benenden products and a wide range of discounts on holidays, shopping and other health and wellbeing products including Home, Travel, Cash Plan and Health Assessments.
Services available after 6 months of membership
Medical Diagnostics – You can call us straight away when the wait on the NHS is over 3 weeks.
We have a national network of over 500 facilities providing our members with access to diagnostics and tests. We can support your diagnostic costs up to the value of £1,800 when you proceed via one of the facilities or specialists that we propose.
Medical Treatment and Surgery – You can call us straight away when the wait on the NHS is over 5 weeks.
Access to over 250 common procedures across medical specialities including orthopaedics and general surgery. All authorised treatment costs are directly settled in full by Benenden Health. We can provide treatment in one of our 26 approved hospitals.
Physiotherapy
We can offer self-managed exercises supported by on-going telephone support and up to six face-to-face physiotherapy sessions.
Psychological Wellbeing Support
Support ranging from guided self-help to face-to-face therapy for conditions such as stress, depression, anxiety and bereavement.
Financial Assistance
Financial support up to £1,500 to purchase a range of items that can assist members who have been diagnosed with cancer or tuberculosis.
What your membership excludes
The NHS provide speedy care for cancer, brain and heart disease, which are among the areas we don’t provide treatment for. Instead we use our members’ contributions to pay for healthcare that complements the NHS, making our healthcare a much more affordable alternative.
What we can't help with
- Emergency care
- Surgery for arterial, cardiac, neurological or complex orthopaedic problems or Bariatric surgery. However, The Benenden Hospital Trust offers a preferential rate to members who opt to have their hip or knee replacement surgery on a self-pay basis at Benenden Hospital in Kent. This discount is not available at other Benenden Approved Hospitals.
- Cosmetic, breast, plastic, sterilisation, nerve, dental or maxillofacial surgery, or surgery for transplants
- Appointments with specialists such as radiologists, dentists, opticians or complementary therapists and pain management specialists
- Heart surgery
- Cancer treatment
- Retrospective services, where our written authorisation hasn’t been sought
- Consultations, tests and treatments outside the UK
- Services which are delivered by a non-UK, non-VAT registered organisation
- We are unable to support ongoing monitoring, follow-up consultations or treatment for the same medical condition. You should seek support through the NHS.
- Minor outpatient treatments (MOTs), such as wart or cyst removals, unless Benenden have provided the diagnosis and expressly agreed to fund the treatment.
Useful information
Your guide to Benenden Healthcare
As a mutual community we’re committed to treating every member fairly. We aim to provide a range of discretionary services that
will help our members and to deliver them with care, compassion and understanding. This guide has been created to help outline who’s eligible to request our help, the range of services you can currently request and those services we're unable to help with.
Rulebook
Benenden operates according to a rule book, which contains the Benenden Healthcare Society Limited’s memorandum and rules.
How discretion works
We are a friendly society providing benefits from a discretionary fund. This means that the provision of services is subject to the resources we have available through membership contributions.
How to request our diagnostic and treatment services
To access our diagnostic and treatment services you must have been a member of Benenden for more than six months.
Changing your payment method & adding additional members
If you would like to make changes to the way you pay or add additional persons to your membership please complete the appropriate forms.
If you're already a member you can make changes to your membership via My Benenden
Special offer - £30 M&S gift card
£30 M&S Gift card when you join and add 2 or more people to your membership. Offer ends 5th August 2018. Terms & conditions apply.
Easy to take out
No quotes, no excess – The price to join us is £10.25 per person, per month
No exclusions for pre-existing medical conditions on joining – All UK residents can join us regardless of their medical history
No commitment or annual contract – Benenden Health is here to help take worry away. So if at any point you decide that Benenden Health is not for you, you can cancel at any time.
Price – The monthly cost won’t increase due to age or usage but is reviewed annually.
Healthcare the Benenden Way
Benenden Health is an affordable alternative to private health insurance. We are not a medical insurer. Our services are offered on a discretionary basis which means that the services we provide are subject to the resources we have available through membership contributions. This discretionary approach has served our membership well for more than 110 years.
How is Benenden Health so affordable?
There are two main reasons why:
By not replicating some of the excellent services that the NHS provide.
The NHS already provides speedy care for cancer, brain and heart disease so we don’t replicate these services but we can provide support to help you achieve a diagnosis for any symptom which you have been referred for by your NHS GP practice.
All membership fees are paid into a communal pot for the benefit of all members.
We manage our funds and the services we provide carefully to ensure that we can continue to provide assistance to members who require our support.
How to request our services
In the table below you'll find numbers for GP 24/7 and Psychological helplines along with information on how to request our services for Medical Diagnostics and Medical Treatment and Surgery
Services you can request from day 1 of membership
GP 24/7 and private prescription service
Call 0800 414 8247 (Select option 1)
24/7 Psychological Wellbeing Helpline
Call 0800 414 8247 (Select option 2)
If you have been a member for over 6 months, calling the helpline may allow you additional Psychological Wellbeing Support
Independent Care Advice
Call 0800 414 8100
We can advise you on how to seek further support or information about help paying for care. Our service does not support paying any fees for care.
Services you can request after 6 months of membership
Medical Diagnostics – You can call us straight away when the wait on the NHS is over 3 weeks.
Call 0800 414 8100 if you have been referred by your NHS GP Practice and your NHS wait is over 3 weeks for Medical Diagnostics.
- Have you been referred by your NHS GP Practice? If the answer is ‘NO’ you must contact your NHS Practice before you can request services
- If you’ve been referred by your NHS GP Practice and your wait is 3 weeks and under, please wait for your NHS appointment
- If you have been referred by your NHS GP Practice and your NHS wait is over 3 weeks please call us on 0800 414 8100 to request authorisation for your consultation or test
Medical Treatment and Surgery – You can call us straight away when the wait on the NHS is over 5 weeks.
Call 0800 414 8100 if you have been referred by your NHS GP Practice and your NHS wait is over 5 weeks for Medical Treatment and Surgery.
Physiotherapy
Call 0800 414 8100
Psychological Wellbeing Support
Call 0800 414 8247 (select option 2)
Financial Assistance
Call 0800 414 8100
Special offer - £30 M&S gift card
£30 M&S Gift card when you join and add 2 or more people to your membership. Offer ends 5th August 2018. Terms & conditions apply.
Why choose Benenden
Simple anyone is accepted for the same price, no pre-existing conditions are excluded on joining
Smart we complement the great work of the NHS
Affordable at the low monthly fee of just £10.25
The affordable alternative to health insurance including diagnosis, over 250 types of surgery, physiotherapy, GP and Psychological Wellbeing 24/7 helplines
The Benenden Health way we were founded on the vision of many people joining together to help pay for medical care to support those in need.
Why we're different
The table below highlights how we may differ to other healthcare providers, making Benenden Health the affordable alternative.
| Benenden Healthcare | |
|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | |
| Does everyone pay the same? | ✔ Yes, the price is £10.25 a month for our healthcare product |
| Do you provide access to diagnosis & treatment? | ✔ Yes. After six months of membership we will offer private diagnosis and 250 types of surgery if the NHS wait is over three weeks for a diagnosis or over five weeks for surgery |
| Do you provide cover for cancer or heart treatments? | ✘ We provide diagnosis for any condition, but we exclude the treatment of these conditions as the NHS provides great care here |
| Do you accept pre-existing medical conditions? | ✔ Yes, everyone is accepted. All UK residents can join Benenden Healthcare regardless of their medical history |
| Will there be any excesses to pay to access services? | ✔ No, there is no excess to pay. But you will be responsible for funding any costs incurred over £1,800 for a diagnosis |
| Is Benenden Healthcare insurance? | ✘ No, our services are offered on a discretionary basis |
Special offer - £30 M&S gift card
£30 M&S Gift card when you join and add 2 or more people to your membership. Offer ends 5th August 2018. Terms & conditions apply.
No commitment and no annual contract
If you decide at any point Benenden Health isn’t right for you, you can cancel at any time.
It takes only a few minutes to sign up
No quote is needed and everyone is accepted. You can join us online day or night, all year round. Joining Benenden Health is quick and simple.
Once you've joined us, you will receive a welcome email within 30 minutes and your welcome pack in the post within 10 days.
Everything you need to know about Benenden Health can be viewed here
Like to chat? Call us now on {{healthcare_number}}
Special Offer - £30 M&S gift card
£30 M&S gift card when you join online and add 2 or more people onto your Benenden Healthcare membership.
Joining Benenden Health offers you an affordable alternative to health insurance for just £10.25 per month. Why not add your loved ones so they too can enjoy peace of mind of speedy access to private healthcare for just £10.25 per person, per month.
As a thank you, we’ll give you a £30 M&S gift card if you add two or more family members when you join online. Offer available until 5th August 2018.
Terms and conditions
- If you are a new member you will receive a £30 M&S gift card if you add two or more family members to your policy when joining online. Offer available until 5th August 2018.
- To qualify for the incentive, the new joiner must have joined and added two other members onto their membership at the time of joining, and all joiners must remain with the Society at the point the gift cards are sent.
- Gift cards will be sent within 52 days of the join date.
- No alternative to this promotion will be offered.
- Offer subject to availability. We reserve the right to withdraw or change this incentive at any time.
No commitment and no annual contract
If you decide at any point Benenden Health isn’t right for you, you can cancel at any time.
Why not talk to one of our of our friendly UK based team
Submit your details and we'll email you about our healthcare product.
It takes only a few minutes to sign up, no quote needed and everyone is accepted.
