With private health insurance, you pay a monthly or annual premium for coverage. You can then use private medical services for the diagnosis and treatment of any new medical conditions, and the insurer helps you pay the bill.

Joint cover for a couple works in exactly the same way as cover for a single person, with either policyholder on the plan able to claim and access the insurance in the same way when needed.

Having private health insurance doesn’t mean you can’t access services and treatments through the NHS. In fact, in most cases you will need a referral from a GP before you can access treatment through your private health cover.

However, this type of cover means you can choose to avoid NHS waiting lists for tests, treatment or surgery. This is particularly the case for non-urgent care.

You may need to pay the cost of any private medical examination, consultant fees or hospital treatment up front and claim it back. Or, in some cases, the insurer will contact the hospital or health care provider to pay your expenses.

There will usually be an excess to pay for any claim, subject to the terms of your policy. This can vary between £100 and £500 for example. As a general rule, the higher the deductible, the lower the premium.

Insurers generally offer different levels of cover, with different limits and treatment choices, as well as conditions and exclusions. Higher levels of coverage will cost more.

Some policies place a limit on the amount they will pay for a particular condition or treatment, or limits may sometimes be applied to payments over the course of a year, for example. It is essential to read the fine print of your policy before purchasing to understand the coverage and its limitations.