Gareth Owen

Despite access to the NHS, there are still many reasons for investing in private health insurance for you and your family.

Perhaps the most powerful reason is that when someone you love needs medical treatment, you do not want to be hindered by NHS waiting lists and bureaucracy. You may also end up incurring additional expenses by taking time off from work or having to arrange childcare with little notice when your appointment is confirmed.

Access to excellent medical care in comfortable surroundings, without waiting months to get to the front of the queue should make Private Medical Insurance (PMI) an easy sale but, it does have a reputation for being a luxury product and quite expensive. However, recent innovations mean you do not have to dip into your life savings to get a good PMI policy and it might be time to take another look.