Insurers have launched affordable medical insurance to specifically cover breast cancer.
US insurance company AIG Direct are offering the policy for as little as 99p per month*, although the cost does increase for customers considered to be at a higher risk of developing the disease.
Breast cancer is now the most common form of the disease with 1 in 8 women developing the illness during their lifetime.
According to cancer charity Macmillan, those undertaking treatment are likely to find themselves an average of £570 worse off every month. Sufferers are often forced to take a pay cut as they become too ill to work, spend more on travel expenses to and from hospital appointments, and are faced with higher energy bills due to being at home more.
AIG’s breast cancer insurance policies are designed to help patients cope with their living expenses by paying out either £10,000 or £25,000 upon diagnosis, depending on whether they have standard or premier cover, and £50 for every day spent in hospital within the first 90 days of being diagnosed.
‘The policy is designed to be simple, easily understood and affordable. We believe it is the only breast cover-only policy available in the UK at the present time’, a spokesperson for AIG said.
However, breast cancer is just one of more than 200 types of cancer. Thus, for those wishing to feel protected against a selection of medical conditions, they may prefer to opt for a traditional form of medical insurance.
Researchers have found everyday medicines to contain high volumes of Sodium.
Soluble medicines, used by millions of people in Britain, could pose a health risk due to the high levels of sodium they contain1.
Sodium is a component found in salt. The recommended daily intake of sodium per day for adults in the UK is 104mmol2, yet researchers warn that by taking the maximum dose of some medicines, users could consume a staggering 148.8mmols worth of sodium before the amount eaten during their meals is even taken into account.
Researchers at Dundee University and University College London tracked more than 1.2 million patients over a seven year period for the study recently published in the British Medical Journal. The drugs in question included effervescent, dispersible and soluble constructions of paracetemol, aspirin, ibuprofen, vitamin C, calcium, zinc and migraine-easing metoclopramide.
The results found that those who took medicines containing sodium increased their risk of suffering heart attacks, stroke or vascular-related death by a significant 16%1 compared to those taking non-sodium versions of prescriptions. The sodium consumers were also seven times more likely to develop high blood pressure and 28% more likely to die prematurely.
Jacob George, a senior clinical lecturer and honorary consultant in clinical pharmacology at Dundee University, noted that this research could merely expose the tip of the iceberg. George explained ‘The ones we looked at were prescribed by GPs, but there's a potentially much larger problem with these drugs being bought over the counter and in supermarkets.'1
George also highlighted the fact that many medicines do not label the potentially harmful quantities of sodium they contain on their packaging and researchers are now calling on manufacturers to address this.
Following this research, Mike Knapton of the British Heart Foundation, advised concerned medicine users that ‘it's important not to simply stop taking your dose’1 and that any worries should be discussed with your doctor first.
Some people may choose to purchase private health insurance in order to gain more control over their healthcare. Health insurance policyholders could arrange speedy appointments with specialist doctors and treatment at a time convenient for them.
The NHS in England will start collecting anonymous data on patients’ health from GPs for the first time1.
Information is already collected from hospitals but, by extending the initiative to include general practices, the aim is to gain a larger insight into disease and treatment patterns.
Leaflets about the changes, and how people can opt out if they wish to, will be sent to 26.5 million households across England from next week onwards.
Patients that have any further questions about how their details will be used, or those whom wish to opt out, can speak to their GP or call the information line on 0300 456 3531.
Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) medical ethics committee, praised the leaflet campaign. 'The BMA is extremely pleased that NHS England is raising awareness about changes to the way patient data is handled in the NHS', he noted.
'It is vital that people are fully informed about what their data will be used for and how they can object to its use if they wish to'.
Patients wishing to top up their NHS services or switch to private healthcare may choose to take out medical cover. With medical cover, the cost of quality treatment could be significantly cheaper than choosing to ‘go private’ once you’ve already fallen ill.
US insurance company AIG Direct are offering the policy for as little as 99p per month*, although the cost does increase for customers considered to be at a higher risk of developing the disease.
Breast cancer is now the most common form of the disease with 1 in 8 women developing the illness during their lifetime.
According to cancer charity Macmillan, those undertaking treatment are likely to find themselves an average of £570 worse off every month. Sufferers are often forced to take a pay cut as they become too ill to work, spend more on travel expenses to and from hospital appointments, and are faced with higher energy bills due to being at home more.
AIG’s breast cancer insurance policies are designed to help patients cope with their living expenses by paying out either £10,000 or £25,000 upon diagnosis, depending on whether they have standard or premier cover, and £50 for every day spent in hospital within the first 90 days of being diagnosed.
‘The policy is designed to be simple, easily understood and affordable. We believe it is the only breast cover-only policy available in the UK at the present time’, a spokesperson for AIG said.
However, breast cancer is just one of more than 200 types of cancer. Thus, for those wishing to feel protected against a selection of medical conditions, they may prefer to opt for a traditional form of medical insurance.
Researchers have found everyday medicines to contain high volumes of Sodium.
Soluble medicines, used by millions of people in Britain, could pose a health risk due to the high levels of sodium they contain1.
Sodium is a component found in salt. The recommended daily intake of sodium per day for adults in the UK is 104mmol2, yet researchers warn that by taking the maximum dose of some medicines, users could consume a staggering 148.8mmols worth of sodium before the amount eaten during their meals is even taken into account.
Researchers at Dundee University and University College London tracked more than 1.2 million patients over a seven year period for the study recently published in the British Medical Journal. The drugs in question included effervescent, dispersible and soluble constructions of paracetemol, aspirin, ibuprofen, vitamin C, calcium, zinc and migraine-easing metoclopramide.
The results found that those who took medicines containing sodium increased their risk of suffering heart attacks, stroke or vascular-related death by a significant 16%1 compared to those taking non-sodium versions of prescriptions. The sodium consumers were also seven times more likely to develop high blood pressure and 28% more likely to die prematurely.
Jacob George, a senior clinical lecturer and honorary consultant in clinical pharmacology at Dundee University, noted that this research could merely expose the tip of the iceberg. George explained ‘The ones we looked at were prescribed by GPs, but there's a potentially much larger problem with these drugs being bought over the counter and in supermarkets.'1
George also highlighted the fact that many medicines do not label the potentially harmful quantities of sodium they contain on their packaging and researchers are now calling on manufacturers to address this.
Following this research, Mike Knapton of the British Heart Foundation, advised concerned medicine users that ‘it's important not to simply stop taking your dose’1 and that any worries should be discussed with your doctor first.
Some people may choose to purchase private health insurance in order to gain more control over their healthcare. Health insurance policyholders could arrange speedy appointments with specialist doctors and treatment at a time convenient for them.
The NHS in England will start collecting anonymous data on patients’ health from GPs for the first time1.
Information is already collected from hospitals but, by extending the initiative to include general practices, the aim is to gain a larger insight into disease and treatment patterns.
Leaflets about the changes, and how people can opt out if they wish to, will be sent to 26.5 million households across England from next week onwards.
Patients that have any further questions about how their details will be used, or those whom wish to opt out, can speak to their GP or call the information line on 0300 456 3531.
Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) medical ethics committee, praised the leaflet campaign. 'The BMA is extremely pleased that NHS England is raising awareness about changes to the way patient data is handled in the NHS', he noted.
'It is vital that people are fully informed about what their data will be used for and how they can object to its use if they wish to'.
Patients wishing to top up their NHS services or switch to private healthcare may choose to take out medical cover. With medical cover, the cost of quality treatment could be significantly cheaper than choosing to ‘go private’ once you’ve already fallen ill.
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