If you've searched online for private health insurance that covers bowel polyps then you are probably for looking for established UK based health insurance companies that will cover bowel polyps.
Our advice when looking for private medical insurance that covers bowel polyps is to speak to a health insurance broker. Health insurance is extremely complex and if you want absolute certainty that bowel polyps is covered you should consult with a medical insurance broker who can explain which providers will cover this medical condition and which will exclude it.
There are many advantages to using a insurance broker but the largest by far is that you're using their industry experience at no cost. They are paid by the insurer (Aviva or Bupa etc) rather than by you so it costs you no extra to use their services.
- Do you live in many different postcodes? Some will give you a lower policy premium than offers. A insurance broker will be able to advise whats best.
- Do you have a hobby that may invalidate your insurance claim? A broker will know this critical information.
- If you are a couple and one of you has claimed on your insurance policy this year would it be cheaper to separate you both onto two different policies?
- You've lean't you're at risk of developing a certain condition and want to know which policy provider offers the biggest amount of cover for it. A broker will know this instantly saving you so much time and effort.
You can call around every health insurance provider you can find and ask if they cover bowel polyps, however this will be a very time consuming process. Each insurer will ask for your medical history because its not normally a simple yes or not if a medical condition is covered or not.
Its far far quicker to speak to one health insurance broker which will know which providers on the market cover bowel polyps and under what conditions they do or don't cover it.
Bowel Polyps Information
Bowel polyps are small growths on the inner lining of the colon (large bowel) or rectum. They are common, affecting 15-20% of the UK population, and don't usually cause symptoms.
Polyps are usually less than 1cm in size, although they can grow up to several centimetres. There are various forms:
Bowel polyps are not usually cancerous, although if they're discovered they'll need to be removed, as some will eventually turn into cancer if left untreated.
Some people just develop one polyp, while others may have a few. They tend to occur in people over the age of 60.
Bowel polyps are caused by an abnormal production of cells. The lining of the bowel constantly renews itself, and a faulty gene can cause the cells in the bowel lining to grow more quickly.
There may be a family tendency towards developing bowel polyps or bowel cancer.
Most people with polyps won't be aware of them as they produce no symptoms and are often discovered by accident.
However, some larger polyps can cause:
Bowel polyps are usually found as a result of a bowel investigation for another reason, such as a sigmoidoscopy (examination of the last part of the bowel) or during screening for bowel cancer.
If polyps are found, a colonoscopy or CT colonography is needed to view the whole of the large bowel and remove any polyps.
There are several methods for treating polyps, but the most common procedure involves snaring the polyp during a colonoscopy. Snaring is like cutting the polyp off with cheese wire and is painless.
Both of the above methods involve passing a flexible instrument called a colonoscope through your bottom and up into your bowel. The colonoscope has a wire with an electric current to either cauterise (burn off) or snare the polyp.
In rare cases, polyps may need to be treated by surgically removing part of the bowel. This is usually only done when the polyp has some cell changes or is particularly large.
After the polyp or polyps have been removed, they are sent to specialists in a laboratory, who will inform your consultant if:
If there is a cancerous change in the polyp, you may need further treatment (depending on the degree and extent of change). Your specialist will be able to advise you on this.