What is a Health Choices Plan?

Unlike private health insurance, Health Cash Plans provide you with cash sums towards your everyday healthcare expenses - such as dental and optical fees. helpucover's Health Choices Plan provides generous contributions towards your healthcare bills, giving you more choice over the sort of treatment you receive.

For example, if your dental visit costs £170, you could get £170 cash back from your Health Choice Plan*. What's more, benefits are paid directly to you to spend as you wish.

*Based on Platinum cover

Is it easy to be accepted?

Yes it's very easy to get an affordable Health Cash Plan from helpucover, and you don't have to take a medical either. Simply get your quick quote and complete the online application form, or phone 0800 038 0834.

After reading the Policy Summary, just complete the simple application form online. As long as you are over 18 and below 75 years of age, and you are permanently living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, you could be eligible for this cover. Your children will be covered (up to a maximum of four) if they are aged over 6 months and less than 18 years of age (or up to 22, if neither married nor registered as a civil partner and in full-time education), are permanently living with you and are not in gainful employment.

What does the Optical Benefit cover?

The Optical Benefit covers eyesight tests, glasses, permanent contact lenses (excluding disposable lenses or lenses purchased under an optical care contract scheme or for medical examination fees, fitting fees or sundries). You can also claim for pre-existing optical conditions. The benefits paid are subject to the maximum amount for the benefit level you have chosen in any policy year.

What does the Dental Benefit cover?

The Dental Benefit covers check-ups, hygienist fees, fillings, root treatment, caps, crowns and bridges. The Dental benefit is not payable for charges incurred under a dental care contract scheme. You can also claim for pre-existing dental conditions. The benefits paid are subject to the maximum amount for the benefit level you have chosen in any policy year.

What does the Complementary Therapy Benefit cover?

Complementary Therapy provides a benefit paid to you (up to the maximum amount for the benefit level you have chosen in any policy year) for a range of treatments including physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathy or chiropody. The benefit will only be paid if the treatment you receive is from a qualified practitioner who is registered with the appropriate professional organisation in the United Kingdom.

What does the Dental Accident benefit cover?

The Dental Accident benefit provides up to £2,500 of cover per claim, for dental accidents up to a maximum of 4 claims in any policy year.

What does the Health Check Benefit cover?

The Health Check Benefit covers up to 50% of the cost of a health screening, up to a maximum of £100. You can claim for this benefit once in every two year policy period. This benefit applies to Platinum & Gold levels only. The screening must be carried out by medically qualified staff. This benefit does not apply to eligible children.

Why would I need to see a private specialist consultant
when I can see one on the NHS?

Hopefully, if you need to see an NHS specialist consultant you would not have to wait too long, but what if there was a long waiting list and you needed an urgent consultation or diagnosis? It would be reassuring to know that if you had to pay for any out-patient consultation fees, you could claim back a proportion of the cost, subject to the maximum benefit level you have chosen.

Staying in a NHS hospital is free, so why provide a benefit?

We agree that you would not have to pay out for treatment or your stay in an NHS hospital. But what about some of the hidden costs that might occur, such as loss of earnings, travel costs or extra help around the home? You can use the Hospital Care Benefit to cover some of these expenses.

Is there a qualifying period before I can claim?

Like many other Health Cash Plans there is an initial qualifying period of 30 days before you can make your first claim, but if you are hospitalised due to an accident in the European Union or suffer a dental accident, you can claim for these benefits immediately.

Is there anything I won't be covered for?

The main instances when you will not be covered are deliberate self injury, riding on a motorcycle as a rider or passenger, extreme sports or dangerous occupations, working as a professional sportsperson, or any injury or condition which you knew about (or ought reasonably to have known about) or for which you have received advice, treatment or counseling from a doctor in the 12 months prior to your application for cover even if it is not diagnosed (this exclusion only applies to hospital care and loss of sight benefits ), AIDS related conditions, drug or alcohol abuse or your criminal activity, any motor accident not reported to the Police or any accident resulting from driving a vehicle for hire or payment, for courier and/or messenger services, for motor racing competitions, rallies, trials or speed testing. If you are outside the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, USA, Canada or the European Union for more than 6 months in any one year you will not be covered.

Will the premiums increase as I get older?

Unlike private health insurance, the cost of providing you this cover will not increase with your age or as a result of how many times you claim. However, if the premiums change as a result of increased medical costs for example, helpucover will notify you 30 days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed.

Can I cancel my cover if I choose?

If you wish to cancel your cover, and do so within 14 days of the policy start date, you will receive a full refund of any premium paid, provided you haven't made a claim. You can cancel at any time after this by giving us 30 days notice, however no refund of premiums will be payable. Simply call 0845 121 2435.

Our Customer Service

We take great pride in the quality of service that we deliver but things can go wrong. It is important that you contact us if you are unhappy with any aspect of your experience with helpucover in order that we can look into it for you.

Once you have we will try to respond and resolve your concerns within 24 hours. Where that is not possible then we will write to you acknowledging your complaint. That letter will contain

We will always ensure that you receive an explanation for our actions and that any solution we suggest is a fair one, taking account of all of the circumstances. Occasionally this will mean our investigations will take longer than we would like.

If that is the case we will

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) are an independent organisation that can consider your complaint if you are unhappy with our final response. Once you receive our final decision letter or the letter advising you that you can approach FOS you can contact them at

Telephone 0800 0 234 567 (free if calling from a fixed line) or 0300 123 9 123 (free for mobile phone users paying a monthly charge for calls to 01 or 02 numbers).

A leaflet setting out full details of the Financial Ombudsman Service will be provided to you at the appropriate time.

Contacting Us

We want our customers to be happy with our policies and will welcome any feedback you have. To ensure everybody can contact us in the way that they feel most comfortable you can raise your complaint in the following ways

Whatever way you decide to contact us, we would ask that you have a policy or claim number available in order that we can locate your details as quickly as possible.

When writing could you also please ensure you include a description of your concerns, copies of any relevant documents and tell us what you feel is needed to put things right. If you would like one of our Customer Relations team to call you please mention this in your letter/e-mail.

I am fit and healthy, what's the benefit to me?

Hopefully, you will stay that way - but none of us can guarantee the future state of our health. What we can safely predict is that you are likely to visit an optician, dentist, chiropodist or specialist consultant at some point in the future. With the Health Choices Plan from helpucover you can claim back a large portion of these costs.

This is a summary of the main terms and conditions of the policy, view full policy details.