Young people consider PMI
Published On 29 July 2007
Young people in the UK are increasingly prepared to opt for private medical insurance (PMI) to guarantee they have swift access to clean hospitals, a new study shows.Bupa's national Health of the Nation survey found that just 26 per cent of people aged between 18 and 24 objected to PMI - a fall of seven per cent since 2001.
Furthermore, 38 per cent of people without medical insurance said that they were considering opting for a policy in the near future. A significant 74 per cent of Brits with PMI revealed that they would happily recommend the insurance to someone else.
Consumers said that they liked medical insurance because it would give them access to clean hospitals (65 per cent), smaller waiting lists (60 per cent) and let them be seen by a specialist more rapidly (58 per cent).
"Attitudes to personal healthcare are changing with the younger generation seemingly taking the lead with regards to being more responsible for their health and wellbeing rather than leaving it to chance," commented Stephen Flanagan, commercial director of Bupa's UK membership.
Recently, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said that the number of subscribers to PMI grew for the first time in recent years in 2006.
