All policies carry a list of general exclusions from cover and some companies exclude more or place financial limits on certain benefits offered, particularly benefits such as routine dental cover or maternity cover. In addition to any general exclusions, others may be applicable depending on the people who you wish to have covered. If information on the application form names medical conditions which you have recently suffered from, often going back 5 years, an insurer may exclude such conditions from cover or qualify such cover. As premiums rise over time, a premium you can afford at 40 may turn out to be unaffordable at 65. As new treatments become available involving new drugs and technology, costs of cover will rise.
Insurance companies increase premiums annually in line with medical inflation .
Government legislation also affects premiums particularly if tax incentives to plans are either allowed or excluded. You may frequently enjoy a discounted price by agreeing to a voluntary excess or by paying annually rather than monthly. No claims discounts may also be offered and clearly claims do make for more expensive premiums in the long run. Premiums are mostly bracketed in tiers of 4-5 years before increases. It may be noted that premiums for those above 65 years old generally increase faster to 70 years old and beyond, rather than say from 25 years old to 30 years old.