The benefits of private medical insurance (PMI) have been highlighted in Standard Life Healthcare's annual survey.
The survey revealed 74% of respondents considered being treated quickly as an important advantage of PMI. Expert care, recuperating in comfort and being offered a local private hospital were also listed as the main benefits.
Being able to choose a named consultant was judged to be the least important factor in the survey.
A total of 57% of respondents would consider paying for medical treatment rather than wait for the NHS. But just 14% knew that a replacement knee operation, for example, could cost £14,500.
On the corporate side, the survey underlined the importance of PMI to those organisations keen to attract and retain the best staff. More than eight in ten of employees surveyed said that an important benefit of PMI was in showing that an employer valued their staff.
