Buying health insurance can offer you peace of mind – but while it might not be something you think about on an everyday basis, making the right decision is important for the times when you might need to make a claim.

Finding the right plan for you can be a complicated business, but there are resources out there which can help. Most people nowadays put specialised websites to good use to compare health insurance plans, and this can save you money – if you know what your looking for. This is why we were quite impressed with the Telegraph’s advice on what to consider when looking to invest in private medical insurance. Here are the points we found most interesting:

What is comprehensive?

This term is thrown around a lot, but what does it mean – basically comprehensive cover means it should cover a start to finish claim, including consultation, tests, medical treatments and surgeries and any follow up care required – as well as a private room for any overnight stays in hospital. What it doesn’t cover, however, is pre-existing conditions, emergencies, pregancy or terminal illness.

Excess

Like most insurance policies, there is usually an option to lower the costs of health insurance by raising the excess costs on your plan.

One of payments

If you don’t like the monthly costs attached to comprehensive cover, you can choose to pay for private treatment and care. This can be very expensive though, and doesn’t offer the ongoing peace of mind of rolling cover, or the benefit of affordable monthly costs.

A prominent step has been taken in the fight against cancer and the way patients will be treated which in turn will reduce the death toll.

A UK wide programme will see hundreds of people will be genetically tested in order to develop a method which allows cancer treatments to be tailored to an individuals requirements.

The Cancer Research UK initiative also plans to set up a world-class NHS genetic testing service for cancer patients and to locate new inroads into the research.  What this means is, when available, new targeted treatments will doctors access to the tests significant to helping them decide which cancer treatment drugs are best for their patients.

9,000 Patients with breast, bowel, lung, prostate, ovarian, and melanoma skin cancers from all parts of Britain will be participating in the primary phase of the programme. Some 20 hospitals around Wales including the University Hospital of Wales and Velindre Hospital in Cardiff, will be sending patients to the programme. 

Samples from the patients cancerous tumours will be taken and sent to three leading genetic testing laborotories – where DNA will be extracted and analysed for molecular defaults linked to cancer.  The programme is not thought to to immediately alter patients treatment but will assist in helping scientists design better targeted treatments in the future by giving better information about tumours.

Such specific treatments are believed to be the key way of improving the treatment of the disease and essentially cutting the number of deaths.

A new cancer drug is set to undergo human testing this week in an attempt to establish the correct dosage. The drug works by starving the blood supply to the tumour, and the scientists are recruiting people with advanced tumours to complete their research.

By constricting the vessels which provide blood to cancers it may also prevent new blood vessels from growing, essentially cutting off the supply to the tumour. Without a supply of nutrients and oxygen through blood vessels the cancer will be unable to grow and should stop spreading.

While not a definitive cure the drug has been described as promising, and is an exciting development in an area scientists all over the world are looking to make advancements.

 While there are already drugs aimed at doing similar things for specific types of cancer, this particular one can be used on a wide range of tumours. 

The recent reforms of the NHS are aimed to bring more choice to the public and attract more investment from the private sector. However a recent proposal to invest in the NHS had come from an unlikely source, McDonalds.

The fast food company is striving to change its image of a producer of junk food; they have recently presented a 300-page tender for a cradle to cradle to grave examination and treatment services.

Probably we soon might be going to McDonalds for a private health insurance quote.

Full story can be found in the poke.

A recent Daily Mail article has reported that as many as one in four of us are at risk of long-term back and shoulder pain caused by modern gadgets such as laptops, iPads and tablet readers such as the Kindle.

A British Chiropractic Association poll revealed that many of us complain of a sore shoulder, neck or back after using a modern gadget or carrying it about regularly – which can lead to lasting damage and strain. By causing us to hunch over, or strain at a small screen or sit or stand in an unnatural position to accommodate these new gadgets, modern devices can put pressure on muscles and bones, which may lead to lasting pain.

This news isn’t a surprise to me, as I had this experience with shoulder pain a few years ago, and it turned out it was simply down to the fact that I was using my laptop lying down in bed. A physiotherapist had the problem identified after just a few questions, and was soon on her way to helping me – with advice on ways to sit, painkillers and some simple exercises to relieve the symptoms. And while I would have ordinarily winced at the price, I could pay for my weekly sessions easily with an affordable health cash plan included as part of my medical insurance. This is definitely worth looking into for anyone who thinks they might benefit from back or shoulder problems in the future – and saved me lots of money, as well as giving me cash back on dental care too.

At the end of the day, back pain is a big issue – at least 80% of adults will get it at some point in life. And it can seriously affect our day to day activities. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has had to take a day off work because of back pain. So the next time you bring home a new gadget, think about the way you use it – and see a professional if you have an ongoing pain. It might cost you a little more than you’d like to spend on your back at the time, but it could save you a lifetime of aches and pains.

An alarming report by scrutiny body Healthcare Improvement Scotland has shown that more than half of heart patients in Scotland are not receiving the most appropiate treatment for their condition.

The study showed that over fifty percent of patients who were at high risk of developing a stroke were not getting adequate medicines, whereas low-risk patients were given a powerful medication when all they required was a simple aspirin.

Surely these findings are likely to cause concern among health authorities. The full story is available on the BBC Scotland page.

Ever complained that you can’t get to the gym because your too busy at work? If so, could you imagine yourself taking part in a group exercise class with your workmates on a lunchbreak?

This fun way to introduce fitness into the workplace is endorsed by The British Heart Foundation’s Health at Work campaign – and can include anything from Zumba, to yoga.

These days employers are far more focussed on keeping their employees healthy, and many offer healthy canteen options, company health insurance and even cycle to work schemes in some workplaces.

But group fitness classes could be a way to combine team building with staff wellbeing, with could improve productivity levels as well as reducing absence levels. And on top of anything else, a fun workplace is more likely to have loyal employees who are happy to come to work everyday and spread good words about your company.

Though the NHS has been largely exempted from the government cuts, the proposed reforms about how it should be run have had its fair share of critics. Most of its critic’s feel that the government has failed to explain properly why the NHS needs this monumental change, even though proposals that make the NHS more efficient merit consideration a continuous reform would do no good for its stability.

In spite of the recent listening exercise, the free market ideology is at the very core of the government reforms and as a result most critics fear that the NHS reforms will create and American-style healthcare system that will lead to the denial of care and rising costs for the tax payer

A new report from the BBC has outlined recent research confirming that laughter is good for our health, just as the old saying suggests.

Laughter has long been thought to be good for our mental health, but the research on its effect on our physical wellbeing was perhaps a little conflicting. However, researchers at the University of Oxford have now found that it does release a pain killer like chemical, which can improve our health physically too – but only if the laugh in question is a good ‘belly laugh’.

The research was conducted by showing two groups of volunteers two different types of videos – one being comedy related and one being labelled ‘boring’. The results of this experiment found that those shown funny videos were able to withstand more pain – but only if they had laughed heartily, with slight giggles having no effect. Researches say this effect was caused by ‘laughing until it hurts’, as belly laughter empties the lungs and sets off a dull pain, releasing endorphins.

What do you think about this new research on laughter?

According to Lord Crisp, former NHS chief executive for England, the healthcare services must move away from a hospital-centric model in order to succeed.

In an interview with BBC News, he expressed concerns about overcapacity being built under the previous labour administration, which is leading to capital being tied up in an inefficient manner.

He proposes that some hospitals should either be closed or merged with others with a view to increase efficiency. Lord Crisp also highlights the need to focus on community care due to an ageing population and the prevalence of long-term conditions.