Private medical insurance

Private medical insurance (PMI) is an insurance policy designed to pay for the cost of private medical treatment for certain ‘acute’ conditions that start after a policy begins.

Most insurers define an acute condition as a disease, illness or injury that is likely to respond quickly to treatment and aims to return someone to the state of health they were in immediately before suffering the disease, illness or injury, or which leads to their full recovery.

A policyholder won’t normally be covered for any illnesses they are currently suffering from, or have already had. These are known as ‘pre-existing conditions’.

Someone with HIV  won’t be able to take out a PMI policy. If they have an existing PMI policy, taken out before a positive HIV diagnosis was made, then it’s advisable to check the terms and conditions of the policy. In most cases HIV will be on a list of exclusions and not be covered. In some cases HIV contracted through industrial injury (such as a needlestick injury to a health professional) might be covered, so it’s important to check the small print.