Many people have private health insurance, whether it be a personal plan or one that an employer has taken out on their behalf. This will cover the policy holder, and in some cases partners and family members. Some health insurers are willing to recognise hospice services in the form of a donation to the hospice.
Depending on the provider, health insurance plans can cover a range of hospice services. If a person receiving treatment at your hospice has insurance, they may be able to ask their insurer for a donation. In some cases, a carer may be able to do this on their behalf.
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Private medical insurance providers
We have put together a summary of the main private medical insurance providers and the policies that include making donations for palliative and end of life care.
This information is for just for guidance, and will differ depending on provider and insurance plan. It only covers personal health insurance cover, unless otherwise stated.
Many personal health plans can be expanded to include partners or family members. If your patient does not have insurance of their own, check if they are covered by a policy held in someone else’s name.
If any of your patients are covered by private medical insurance and are interested in securing a donation from their provider, we suggest that the policy holder, or a member of hospice staff, get in touch with the insurance company directly. The insurance provider should be able to walk you through the correct process to receive a donation.
Aviva currently has two policies that include making donations for palliative and end of life care.
Aviva Healthcare
Aviva Healthcare will pay £70 per night to the hospice. This is for a maximum of 10 nights in one policy year. This donation applies when the policy holder receives care as a patient of a hospice and Aviva has previously covered treatment for the condition.
This benefit is also available under the core cover for the Aviva Solutions plan for businesses with 1-249 employees.
Aviva Cancer Cover
Aviva Cancer Cover will make a donation of £100 per night if the individual is admitted to a hospice, up to £10,000. Aviva will also make a donation to a hospice if the policy holder is visited at home by a nurse from the hospice. This will be a donation of £50 per day that a hospice nurse is with the patient, up to a limit of £10,000.
This benefit is also available under the core cover for the Aviva Solutions plan for businesses with 1-249 employees.
Axa PPP has multiple plans that include a charitable donation to a hospice.
‘Health For You’ Plan and ‘Personal Health’ Plan
The Comprehensive Cancer Cover option for both the ‘Health For You’ plan and the ‘Personal Health’ plan includes donation of £100 per night to a registered hospice charity when the policy holder is provided free treatment in a hospice.
Both plans also include a donation of £100 per day when the policy holder is provided free hospice at home care treatment instead of receiving treatment in a hospice.
InSpire Health Plan
The Comprehensive Cancer Cover option of the InSpire Health plan includes a donation of £100 per night to a hospice for end of life care as an in-patient or at home.
Where a Bupa private medical insurance member receives end of life hospice care, whether at home or in a hospice, Bupa makes a donation to support hospices in their work. The donation is £200 per episode, up to a lifetime maximum of £1,000. The hospice donation applies to both cancer and non-cancer conditions.
Under the following plans, General and Medical’s health insurance policy includes a £75 hospice donation per night for the policy’s lifetime, up to £7500.
H3 Insurance provides a Hospice Cash Benefit of £50 per day, limited to £5,000, under their ‘Comprehensive Cancer Treatment’ plan and their ‘Enhanced Cancer Treatment’ plan.
PHC only provides corporate health insurance. Of their four available plans, only plans 1, 2 and 3 include a hospice donation. Under these plans, hospices providing care in the terminal stage of cancer will receive £75 per day, for a maximum of 15 days over the lifetime of the policy holder’s membership.
SAGA’s Extended Cancer Cover includes donation to a hospice for three of their health plans: Health Plan Super, Health Plan Secure and Health Plan Saver Plus.
For patients with Extended Cancer Cover, SAGA will donate:
£100 a night up to a maximum of £2,000 a year when the policy holder is provided free treatment in a hospice.
£100 per day up to a maximum of £2,000 a year when the policy holder is provided free hospice at home care treatment in lieu of a residential hospice admission.
The Exeter’s core health insurance cover includes a donation of £250 to a hospice if an individual is admitted for care. This is covered for cancer and non-cancer conditions.
Vitality’s cancer cover includes a £75 donation for each day spent in a hospice for end stage cancer.
With their Extended Cancer Cover, Vitality also cover the charges for a qualified nurse providing skilled nursing care at home, up to a maximum of £1,000 per day for no more than 14 days. This payment is issued directly to the nurse.
WPA offers a Hospice Donation of £70 per night up to £700. This is one of their core benefits and is included in all of their health insurance policies.
Many businesses provide private health insurance cover to their employees.
Business health insurance plans are often tailored to the needs of an individual business, making it difficult to generalise which providers offer hospice donations.
If your patient receives health insurance cover through their employer, it may be worth asking them, or a carer, to look through their policy document and check whether their plan covers hospice donations.
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Get the word out
Patients may not be aware that their insurance policy covers charitable donations to a hospice.
You might want to create a leaflet or webpage that can start a conversation around private medical insurance donations. This information can then be included in patient care packs.
Some hospices have already created resources on this topic:
