Medical insurance sales reflect C.Diff epidemic

by Gill Montia

Story link: Medical insurance sales reflect C.Diff epidemic

The medical insurance sector is experiencing an upturn in sales of individually purchased cover, after years in which the market declined.

More that one million consumers subscribed to personal medical insurance last year and according to the Association of British Insurers, personal and group plans now cover 5.9 million adults and children in the UK.

There was a 1.8% increase in the sale of personal medical policies during 2006 and sector experts are of the opinion that this was as a result of wide-held fears about picking up an infection in a National Health Service hospital.

Cases of C.Diff increased to 55,634 in 2006 and official figures suggest that up to 60,000 people could be infected in 2007.

Whilst the incidence of MRSA is decreasing, hospital-acquired infections still affect one in 10 patients and the recent upsurge of C-diff cases has increased death rates for hospital infections and doubled the length of hospital stay for those who contract the infection and survive.

According to a survey by Bupa Insurance, 65% of people taking out medical insurance are doing so because they believe it will give them access to clean hospitals.

The leading UK private hospital providers, including BMI, Bupa and Nuffield, all claim to have good hospital acquired infection records. That is to say they experience only a few cases a year, none of which are classified as serious.