Paul and Jemima are both 30 and have stopped smoking as part of their new year's resolution. They are looking to take out private medical insurance in a bid to look after themselves both now and in the future. Paul earns £32,000 as a press officer, and Jemima has worked as a freelance journalist for the past five years earning in the region of £21,000 a year. Their budget is £65 a month each. Paul's aunt was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and he has found there is a history of the disease in the family. Jemima has no medical history, apart from a smoking habit that she has now curbed. What are your recommendations?
Kelvin Lillywhite, Best Advice Financial Planning The information that Paul and Jemima may consider to be negative on their applications are not problematic at all. Private medical insurance (PMI) is unusual in that very few insurers differentiate between smokers and non-smokers. With most other insurances, they would need to be smoke free for at least a year before they are able to obtain non-smoker rates. In relation to Paul's family history of breast cancer, many leading providers do not ask about this when looking at applications. It is possible for Paul and Jemima to both obtain ...
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