Freedom Essentials FAQs

You choose your hospital. Inpatient and daypatient treatment can take place anywhere in the world, under a self-pay contract, with a specialist we recognise. Outpatient treatment must take place in the UK.

The Private Healthcare Information Network (opens in a new tab) publishes information about the quality and cost of private treatment in the UK.

For eligible inpatient and daypatient treatment that needs a procedure, we pay a fixed cash benefit. If the treatment costs more, you pay the difference. If it costs less, you keep the rest. For a stay in hospital without a procedure, we pay £200 for each night or day.

There is no annual limit on the core cover. A £100 excess applies once per person each policy year.

Yes. If you have planned inpatient or daypatient treatment on the NHS that we would have covered privately, we pay 50% of the fixed cash benefit. Tell us before your treatment and send us your booking and discharge letters. There is no benefit for accident and emergency treatment.

Yes, for inpatient and daypatient treatment. The claim must be pre-authorised, and you arrange treatment as a self-pay patient. Send us the booking letter, the discharge letter and any medical reports we ask for. Travel costs, complications after treatment abroad and repatriation are not covered. Read how to make a claim.

Outpatient cover is optional. If you add it, you choose a limit of £500 or £1,500 for specialist fees, including consultations and diagnostic tests, and physiotherapy. Other outpatient benefits have their own limits, set out in the policy documents. Outpatient treatment must take place in the UK.

Freedom Essentials does not cover the cost of cancer treatment. It pays a cancer cash benefit instead: 50% of the fixed cash benefit if you need an inpatient or daypatient procedure as part of active cancer treatment, and £150 for each hospital visit for chemotherapy or radiotherapy.