“This outcome is welcomed as we feel it is a sensible decision and will ultimately benefit consumers. At present there is no transparency of costs for services and treatment and we are particularly concerned that over 90% of the ownership of independent private hospitals is through venture capitalists whose focus is on profit before patient care.

“Following on from BUPA’s stance on open referrals and its discussion with hospital group BMI, this appears to support the need for greater involvement of private medical insurance providers working alongside AMII to enhance the private healthcare sector.

“We also welcome the OFT recognition of non competitive practices of loyalty bonuses being paid to private practitioners which goes completely against freedom of choice.”

The specific membership designation for health insurance and protection intermediaries, ‘Cert CII (Health and Protection)’ was announced on 20 March 2012, by the Association of Medical Insurance Intermediaries (AMII) at their Annual General Meeting.

The new designation provides a good grounding in the basic principles of insurance, including the legal and regulatory environment, and develops understanding of the health and protection market. Successful candidates who are members of the CII can use the ‘Cert CII (Health and Protection)’ designation upon completion, signifying specialist knowledge and commitment to professional development to employers, colleagues and consumers.

To qualify for the new designation, candidates must pass a mandatory unit, ‘Insurance, legal and regulatory’ (IF1), plus a minimum of two optional units from ‘Healthcare insurance products (IF7), Private medical insurance (790), Financial protection (R05), and Group Risk (GR1).

The revised IF7 exam was launched at the AMII AGM in Spring 2010 and there have been over 500 successful candidates since its introduction.

Each unit requires approximately 50 hours of study and is tested using multiple-choice questions. Exams are 1–2 hours in duration and are available to sit year-round at the CII’s network of over 80 regional exam centres. The exception is unit 790, which typically requires 120–150 hours of study and is tested via a 3-hour written exam that is available to sit in April and October.

Brian Walters from AMII said, “IF7 has been very well received by our membership and the full certificate is the next step for those wishing to gain a recognised qualification. To have a sector-specific designation from the CII is a milestone for our industry. We anticipate that this new qualification will help to raise already-high standards and reinforce our core message that private medical insurance is a complex product best purchased with specialist advice.”

Steve Jenkins, Director – Financial Services Markets at the CII added, “We worked with leading practitioners from the PMI industry to develop the exam and its coursework and the feedback from the market to the exam was extremely positive.  The development of a specific membership designation was the next natural step.  A membership designation is an important way to communicate to consumers and individual’s technical expertise and a commitment to an established professional body’s code of ethics – we’d encourage members to explain to their customers the value and expertise that professional qualifications and titles such as Cert CII (Health and Protection) represent.”

Pontin was a member of the AMII executive committee from 2007 to 2010 and is currently Sales Director (West) of Jelf Employee Benefits. He succeeds Andrew Tripp, who has been AMII’s chairman for the last two years. 

Tripp also steps down from the executive committee having been a member since March 2007, including serving as AMII’s treasurer. 

Other AMII changes include the appointment of Brian Walters from Regency Health as vice chair and two new committee members, Stuart Scullion from The Private Health Partnership and Sue Smith from Health Care Plus. 

Debbie Kleiner Gaines from Best HealthUKremains treasurer for a further year.  Also, continuing on the Executive Committee are Lindsey Joseph from LEBC Corporate Healthcare Solution; Hazel Gregory from Medical Insurance Services; and Graeme Godfrey of Best Go Private.  Michael Payne continues in his role as General Secretary.

In addition, Liz Naulls, business relationship manager of Aviva Health joins the executive committee for a two-year period as the insurer representative. 

Mike Wagg from Simplyhealth has stepped down from the role of Insurer Representative after completing his two year term, and John Miller from Bell Healthcare and Isobel Skeates from Direct Healthline have stepped down as executive committee members after completing their three-year terms of office. 

Following his appointment, Pontin said, “AMII must be the accepted voice of the healthcare industry both within trade circles and the political environment, and to achieve the latter the Association has to work alongside BIBA. It is also vitally important that the relationship with the PMI providers is strong and I will develop this throughout my term of office”

“AMII must also be a recognised standard of excellence which is representative of the whole industry from the self employed adviser to the global intermediary involved in health protection insurance and related products.

“Working closely with the CII, we will continue to raise the bar through the introduction of accredited CII examinations and qualifications similar to those that exist within the financial planning industry.

“The benefit of membership must also be clearly defined by using the economy of scale that the membership represents, be that in terms of additional value or trade discounts. This will be a very exciting period for AMII and I look forward to championing its position and beliefs.”

AMII had expressed concern that the ratings could mislead consumers and undermine the advice of its members. However, the two parties engaged in dialogue and AMII now feels that the ratings provide a more balanced assessment of the market.

AMII Vice-Chair Brian Walters said, “Defaqto was receptive to our concerns and keen to ensure that its ratings supported the recommendations made by specialist PMI brokers. Working with Defaqto to refine the ratings was a constructive process and the results broadly reflect the reality of the individual PMI market.

“Defaqto’s ratings reflect the comprehensiveness of products; they are not necessarily a mark of quality. Not everyone wants or can afford five-star cover; in many cases lower-rated products will perfectly meet an individual’s demands and needs. The ratings are not a substitute for independent advice.”

The Association of Medical Insurance Intermediaries (AMII) has lined up The Rt. Hon. Stephen Dorrell, MP and Chair of the Health Select Committee and broadcaster and TV medical correspondent, Fergus Walsh, for AMII 2012, the Association’s first private healthcare summit.

AMII 2012 will be held on Tuesday, 3 July at the Royal College of Physicians, in London’s Regent’s Park. Fergus Walsh will host the event, including making his own presentation and Stephen Dorrell will be one of the key speakers.

Hazel Gregory, from AMII’s Executive Committee said, “These are challenging times for the private healthcare sector and AMII is taking the lead to help secure a successful and profitable future with a completely new, prestigious annual event. To have attracted two very influential individuals as Stephen Dorrell and Fergus Walsh to our inaugural summit is great news, really puts AMII 2012 on the map and makes it an event not to be missed from this year’s calendar.

“With a single day format and clear business focus, we are calling on the industry, intermediaries, insurers and other providers, to come together for a series of top level presentations and debates on issues that really matter to us all.”

Alongside the summit programme, there will be an exhibition hall where all sectors of the industry will have an opportunity to network, and insurers and other providers can promote their products and services. AMII 2012 is open to all intermediaries with an interest in the private healthcare sector – you do not have to be an AMII member to attend as a delegate.

Follow the link on the Summit logo above for more information about AMII 2012.  Companies interested in exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities will also find full details on the site, or by calling Claire Chapman at Campaign Partners on 01372 844401.

When any individual with company medical insurance leaves their job to go to a new one or retires, they should be given a ‘group leaver option’ enabling them to continue to have insurance cover in their own right. But according to the Association of Medical Insurance Intermediaries (AMII) that isn’t necessarily going to be their best deal available.

“For those wanting to continue with medical insurance, they should most definitely use this opportunity to shop around,” said Debbie Kleiner-Gaines from AMII. “Although cover for pre-existing conditions should always be a major consideration, that aside they may find a better deal elsewhere both in terms of cost and overall cover.”

For example, in one instance the group leaver option quote was £320 per month for a man aged 40 with a family moving from his engineering job in the Midlands to a new job in the same area, whereas shopping around he could get the same cover for £146 per month. And a man taking retirement at aged 60 could get similar cover for £228 per month whereas his group leaver option quote was £280 per month.

“However, it is worth considering taking the Group Leaver Option when you are in the middle of a claim and need continuation of cover but don’t forget that when that treatment is over, you can look at switching but with an intermediary holding your hand,” added Kleiner-Gaines.

“Apathy means too often people accept what they are offered by their existing provider without shopping around. With medical insurance, it is always worth checking with a local specialist intermediary to see if the best deal and most importantly appropriate cover have been offered. If they then find they already have the best option they’ve lost nothing but gained important peace of mind.”

AMII’s website includes a ‘find-a-broker’ section so the public can search for specialist independent intermediaries across the UK who provide specialist independent advice on medical insurance products.

AMII’s Chairman, Andrew Tripp said, “Our members, all of whom are specialist independent healthcare intermediaries with considerable expertise in PMI, are bemused by Defaqto’s ranking of PMI products. For example, we do not understand how a budget plan with little out-patient cover can be given the same 3 stars as other full out-patient products, it doesn’t make sense.

“PMI is an extremely complex product and really does need specialist advice so that the product bought really is suitable and appropriate to an individual’s personal circumstances and wishes. Type of cover, fully comprehensive v policies with exclusions, cover for cancer treatment, levels of excess, pre-existing conditions, hospital choice are just a few of the factors that need consideration. Introducing simple star ratings to PMI products is highly dangerous and not in the best interests of consumers.”

The 500th candidate to pass the exam John Davidson, CertPFS of Ringrose Grimsley says: “I am pleased to have passed the IF7 at the first attempt. I did the exam because I believe it is important to keep one’s knowledge up to date.”

Simon Kelly, Business Account Manager at Best Health who recently passed the exam says he did so because it is a requirement of his employer for advisers to do so. He believes however it is very important for himself:  “I have been working in the health insurance world since 2008 and have gathered a lot of knowledge. However, having passed the exam gives me the confidence that I really do know what I am talking about!

“Being able to demonstrate CII accredited training as a PMI adviser gives me another tool to use when speaking to clients and prospects.  If they are trying to decide between me and another company, the fact that I can demonstrate by knowledge might swing them towards Best Health.”

And Simon would definitely recommend anyone else advising on PMI to take the exam:

“There were many elements within the course material that I don’t use on a day to day basis but were very useful to have studied as a background to my knowledge base,” he says. “Passing the exam has also given me an appetite to continue my studies towards gaining the Certificate of Insurance qualification.”

Commenting on the results, Andrew Tripp, Chairman of AMII said: “We are delighted so many people have embraced the drive to professionalism by taking the IF7 exam. Insurers and healthcare intermediaries alike are taking up the education challenge. As their contemporaries see that happening they too will find it harder and harder to make excuses not to follow suit. Already we are building on the continuing success of the exam with the development of a full Health and Protection Qualification to come later in the year.”

AMII Chairman, Andrew Tripp said, “We want to see greater transparency around benefit fee limits for consultants and anaesthetists. In the UK access to transparent and competitive markets should  be fundamental rights for consumers seeking private healthcare and as an Association we welcome the OFT’s decision to refer to the Competition Commission. This is extremely important, especially now, when greater pressures are being put on NHS spending raising the important role the private healthcare market has to play.”

The Association recognises benefit fee limits and hospital networks are a necessity to maintaining a cost-effective insurance proposition for consumers. However, it believes there should be a clear distinction between those broad-based “hospital networks”, where the private medical insurance (PMI) policyholder has actively agreed to only obtain treatment at a selected list of hospitals in return for a lower premium; and the “treatment networks” where the insurer insists that for certain types of treatment (for example oral-surgery, ophthalmic conditions, certain types of cancer treatment) the PMI policyholder must use specific consultants/hospitals, which may be more restrictive than the general hospital list that the PMI policyholder has bought into.

In the latter case (“treatment networks”), the criteria that these insurers are using to determine which providers are included on the “treatment network” should be clear to private healthcare providers, medical professionals and consumers.

In addition, when an insurer introduces a “treatment network” for specific medical conditions, AMII would like to see existing policyholders given the choice to “opt out” of the network (albeit, at a higher premium).  And insurers should share with intermediaries and policyholders the quality data they are using to establish these “treatment networks”.

Tripp concluded “These are really important issues which need addressing for the benefit of the consumer.”

Des Benjamin will outline Simplyhealth’s view of the future of the PMI market, some of the reasons behind its strategy in acquiring the business of Groupama Healthcare and give delegates the chance to pitch their questions about the acquisition.

The other speakers are:

• Don Grocott, Director of The Private Patients Forum
• Matt James, CEO of the Private Hospitals Alliance (PHA) – representing the UK’s 5 largest independent hospital groups
• Naomi Sargoussi, Principal at Mercer and author of Mercer’s 2011 “Covering Cancer” survey
• Neil Kleiner, Head of Social Media, Havas Media UK – hosting a masterclass session looking at the rise of social media as a marketing tool
• Branko Bjeloboba, Branko Ltd – AMII’s Compliance Consultant

Further details about the Conference can be obtained from Michael Payne, AMII’s General Secretary, tel 01206 848443.