What our clients have to say
Why use a broker for Healthcare Insurance?
Dear Dr *****
I am writing to thank you very much indeed for your recommendation to Simon Cross of Access to Healthcare in response to my recent request for advice on medical insurance.
Simon has been extremely efficient, helpful, and informative, enabling me to switch to a new affordable medical insurance provider with ease and peace of mind. He works to an impeccable professional standard and has made the transitional process far smother than I had expected.
Jane Cable
“Over the years I have known him Simon Cross has been very helpful in dealing with the minefield that is private health insurance in England.
It is a minefield because as one becomes older the premiums become ever higher and more unaffordable – seemingly taking little account of all those previous healthy years when payments were regularly made but few claims made.
Increasing expense forces switches to the policies of competitor companies, but this comes at the risk of excluding ongoing chronic problems for which previous claims, however minor, have been made.
Simon guided me through such a switch, but, even with considerable care, I found myself trapped by small print which threatened a partial claim for a knee replacement, and, even worse, the possibility of no future claims being possible in relation to osteoarthritic knees and hips.
Dealing with Aviva direct with such details left me feeling very much in limbo, but Simon’s advocacy proved invaluable; the situation was rescued and Aviva, after an anxious delay, did the decent thing and honoured my claim.
Based on my recent experience I would recommend dealing with health insurance through an agency of which Access to Healthcare is an excellent example.
Simon and his team provide a highly personalised and indeed accessible service”.
Jeremy Powell-Tuck
Emeritus Professor of Clinical Nutrition, retired consultant gastroenterologist
Some years ago, Simon Cross set up healthcare insurance for myself and my wife with BUPA. This eventually became unaffordable following annual hefty premium increases. Simon then arranged a better deal, using Trust Hospitals, with Aviva. This year, I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and Aviva (wrongly) informed me that my nearest Trust Hospital was S t Thomas’s, London, a difficult place to access from Chelmsford. I therefore cancelled my Aviva policy and, as a courtesy, I informed Simon.
Simon then contacted Aviva and its Oncology department on my behalf. It transpired that I could receive investigation and treatment at my local trust hospital Broomfield hospital in Chelmsford. Additionally, I would be entitled to a cash benefit payment of £100 per week whilst I was on (home) Chemotherapy plus £100 for all day patient admissions for investigations (bone marrow biopsy &c) and treatments, (Intravenous infusions of a Bi-phosphonate).
Thanks to Simon, I am now receiving these benefits, which more than cover my Aviva premiums! Additionally, treatment by the Haematology team at Broomfield is second to none.
Thank heavens I availed myself of the expertise of Simon Cross @ Access to Healthcare.
Dr Vic Bradbury
Thanks Sebastian, and again thank you for your knowledge, clear explanation, kindness and patience!
Dr Pauline Spencer
After struggling for quite some time to compare complicated information and premium levels across a number of private health insurers, we were referred to Simon Cross at Access to Healthcare for help in selecting the insurer that best met our needs. With great patience, Simon helped us sort out the range of services and health providers that we were comfortable with, and that we felt provided real value for money. The Exeter was our choice, and we been delighted with our cover, the annual premium and the services from both The Exeter and Simon. Both have given us a real measure of confidence that our health needs with be met at a reasonable cost”.
Raymond & Carole White (read further)
I would like to thank you personally and your team at ‘Access to Healthcare’ for your personal commitment and exceptional service provided to my wife and I. Apart from the excellent service you always provide in helping to find the best health insurance that best suits our needs and where we benefit the most, I remember the time when I called you for some advice and indeed some help when I was dealing with my health Insurers in trying to set up a new claim for my wife and the problems I was having.
Dallas Ariotti
I have known Simon Cross for very many years and indeed have recommended him to patients and to colleagues. I first met him when he was working as a Consultant at BUPA and i was at that time insured with PPP whose premiums had got pretty excessive and he transferred me to a much more reasonable premium with BUPA and then he subsequently contacted me and i am now with The Exeter who have been absolutely brilliant so i have no hesitation in recommending Access to Healthcare and Simon himself has been a wonderful chap to know.
Dr A du Vivier MD FRCP Consultant Dermatologist
I should like to sing the praises of Kieran Stewart. Kieran has always been helpful and effective. However, he recently really came up trumps. I needed to be admitted to hospital urgently and went to the nearest private hospital knowing it was not on the list covered by my insurance company. After 6 days of consultants, investigations and treatment, the sum I paid the hospital was huge. Once I was home Kieran telephoned to see how I was. I explained I had been self-paying and he said he would see what he could do. He managed to persuade the Insurance Company to pay almost 70% of the total cost, a substantial amount! To achieve this Kieran must have worked very hard and been very persuasive. I continue to be very impressed by Kieran.
Dr Carolyn Greenwood
After more than three decades as a private family doctor I had lost count of the number of times that my patients asked me to recommend the best health insurance provider for themselves, their families or their employees. With the NHS under ever increasing pressure the requests for advice escalated, and with the arrival of Access to Healthcare in 2011 there was the answer to a prayer – at last there was a professional resource that I could confidently recommend and now what I hear are frequent messages of thanks for connecting them with Simon Cross and his team.
Dr Martin Scurr
Daily Mail columnist
Prompted by a 17% increase in this year’s BUPA Doctors BupaCare Scheme I sought advice from Simon Cross. Simon’s approach has been very professional and thorough. At no time did I feel any pressure to change our cover. Simon’s assistants, Naomi & Kieran, were friendly, helpful and well informed. Our new scheme is very considerably cheaper than the old one. I would not hesitate to use Simon again or recommend him to friends or colleagues.
Dr Stuart Gould MD FRCP
Retired Consultant Gastroenterologist
I have known Simon Cross for 15 years while he was working for BUPA. Simon introduced us to BUPA Doctor’s Scheme, which was very beneficial to us. When Simon set up Access Healthcare, I referred him my patients who were seeking advice regarding medical insurance, and each and every one of my patients had excellent service and were very pleased with the way Simon dealt with them. I am impressed with Simon’s ‘humane’ side, it does take a lot to deal with people who have life-threatening illness and find the medical insurance companies are not always as sympathetic.
I needed Simon yet again when I retired from hospital practice and moved out of the UK. Simon was the person that I went back to for advice about our own medical insurance, and he was, as usual, excellent and provided us with new policies suitable for ourselves.
I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Simon Cross and his staff at Access Healthcare
Professor Avijit Lahiri
Cardiologist
Simon Cross has looked after my health insurance for several years and has provided a reliable and efficient service. I have been with AXA for many years during which time I have made several claims without any problems. During this time he has been able to negotiate a reduction in the premium without any penalties.
Huw Edwards
FRCPsych
I would like to recommend “Access to Healthcare” to anyone seeking private health insurance. In the last four years they have been very helpful to me, health insurance is becoming increasingly necessary not just when travelling (although they cover that as well) and you need professional help to avoid the pitfalls of which there seem to be many but Simon Cross and his team are very adept at steering you through and helping with all the lists of questions which need awareness before you can be covered.
Dr Alan Clark-Jones
Retired G.P.
Over the years with advancing age of myself and family members the premiums for private healthcare have been sky-rocketing.
Thanks to Access to Health I have been able to obtain a similar level of cover at considerably reduced rate compared to my previous
provider and in the process have saved hundreds of pounds.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Access to Healthcare to others.
Dr Tony Lynn FRCR (retired Radiologist)
I was paying very high premiums to maintain my medical insurance. Simon Cross at Access to Healthcare was most helpful in steering me through the various options available and thanks to his intervention I was able to significantly reduce my premiums.
I would unhesitatingly highly recommend his services. Undoubtedly he has a wide knowledge of the field, which very quickly he was able to focus to my specific needs.
My wife and I are very grateful for his assistance.
Dr. Stuart Ungar
Thank you, Simon, for coming to my husband’s rescue when initially AXA PPP would not cover him for prostate investigations. Your help and knowledge of the intricacies of wording in the private healthcare system gave us the courage for one last attempt at overturning their initial refusal – and it worked!
I would recommend Simon Cross and the Access Team to anyone who needs help in sourcing the most suitable and cost effective healthcare company for themselves and their families.
Jean E Robson FRCA
I have known Simon for about 7 years since he first arranged PHI for my wife and myself at a considerably discounted premium. More recently, he achieved the near impossible, moving my cover from a UK policy to full international cover while keeping my wife on our old policy which had been in my name. All this without any loss of cover or discounts and without exclusions even though both of us were receiving active treatment for on-going conditions. We certainly would not have achieved this without his help.
David Hirschowitz FRCS
Retired Orthopaedic Consultant
Simon Cross helped me with my BUPA Doctor’s Health Insurance while he was working with that organisation.
He has now started his own business ‘Access to Healthcare’ and has recently given me further excellent advice. He always takes care to understand my circumstances and has recently given me help even though this was not to his personal advantage. I recommend his services to all those who require unbiased advice and assistance.
Geoffrey Walker FRCS
Over the years Simon has advised me about Medical Insurance. He has an in-depth understanding of the’ jungle’ and has always furnished, considered advise. In my case in my favour.
He has a considerate manner and I have never felt that he was keen to clinch a deal – most reassuring. He really is a person to reassess a renewal which invariably year by year becomes more expensive.
M.Singh FRCS
Retired Urological Surgeon
Over the past few years I have become increasingly concerned that my wife and I cannot rely confidently on the NHS delivering healthcare to the standards we would expect.
Furthermore, as I approach retirement, I appreciate that after retiring I will not enjoy the close relationship I currently have with professional colleagues. Whilst I acknowledge I cannot expect an opinion from a colleague, as a professional courtesy outside normal referral pathways, the likelihood of being able to ask for that will not exist soon after retirement.
Another of my concerns was that if I continued to procrastinate my plans to secure private health cover, any new medical condition’s that either of us developed would not be covered, unless we had sorted out cover in advance.
Simon’s advice was important to me and his lifetime of experience and knowledge in this field was invaluable to us in choosing the right policy for our current and future private healthcare needs.
I have no hesitation in recommending Simon to you. He is thorough, conscientious and his knowledge in this field is comprehensive.
George Moncrieff
FRCP FRCGP
This is the age in which huge insurance companies routinely communicate on first name terms with their millions of customers, but send out invoices for huge increases in annual premiums without a word of explanation.
This year the health insurance premium for me and my wife was raised by 50% without any medical justification. St George, in the form of Simon Cross, came to our rescue. After his immaculate, effective diplomacy, our premiums are now lower than before and with increased benefits. I wish he could take on the gas and electricity suppliers.
Dr Michael Denman
Retired MRC staff member and Consultant Clinical lmmunologist
I had been looking for a while for a specialist broker to advise me in changing from one Health Provident Institution to another without incurring penalties, whilst reducing overall costs, when I was approached by Simon Cross of Access to Healthcare.
With his help and advice I was able to transfer providers. This allows transfer without a medical examination. Its Continued Personal Medical Exclusion means that the new provider takes over the joining doctor’s health cover in its present state. Lastly the premium includes travel insurance. The overall cost proved to be £100 less per month than I was paying before.
All this was achieved painlessly inside two weeks. There was no charge for Access to Healthcare’s services. Mr Cross was at all times accessible and knowledgeable, and I commend him for his services.
I am happy to recommend Access to Healthcare to any other doctor seeking to make a change or to advise on joining any private health scheme.
G.E.T. Raine FRCS
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon (Retired)
Having been reluctant to try and find my way through the myriad of options offered by the various health insurance companies in the market I was still prevaricating, albeit horrified by the fees of the private sector, when I was contacted by Access to Healthcare.
On meeting Simon Cross all my concerns fell away. I was hugely impressed at the service he provided. He listened to my requirements, came up with a choice of providers and offered sound advice without pressuring me in any direction. And it was affordable.
Dr Carolyn Greenwood
Mr Simon Cross of Access to Healthcare has recently advised me about private healthcare insurance. He was instrumental in getting some exclusions removed from my existing policy. He reviewed my policy and considered the appropriateness of possible alternatives. Although no change was considered advisable, I am grateful for his diligent and knowledgeable review. I commend Mr Cross to others considering their healthcare insurance.
R N Grüneberg, M.D., FRCPath
Access to Healthcare’s approach was very balanced, thoughtful and helpful through the minefield of options. Their objectivity is to be applauded.
Professor Robin Touquet
Emeritus Professor of Emergency Medicine, Imperial College
I am grateful to Simon Cross for his professional advice and thorough approach in making the options in Private Medical Insurance available to me. This is against a background of my paying considerably more for similar cover with another provider when I was contacted by Access to Healthcare.
The transfer from one scheme to another was done most efficiently. I now have the reassurance of comprehensive cover with reduced premiums. I have no hesitation in recommending Simon Cross and Access to Healthcare to friends and colleagues.
Dr Carolyn Steven
I want to thank you very warmly for your help. You gave me advice that resulted in an immediate halving of my (very expensive) premiums – as a result of what you told me, the company agreed to reduce my premiums immediately and did not demand that I waited until next year’s contract.
I cannot thank you enough, the savings are very considerable and I would never have thought of making the necessary change without your telling me about it.
Howard S Jacobs MD FRCP FRCOG
Emeritus Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology
Access to Healthcare has been very helpful in enabling me to make a better choice of Medical Insurance Cover than I previously had before I was contacted by this company.
Importantly contact with the Access to Healthcare office by email or telephone has been easy and where appropriate telephone calls and emails have been promptly returned.
My switch to another Medical Insurance Company has been seamless and the Schedules I have received have been exactly as described by Access to Healthcare. I feel reassured to be under the wing of Access to Healthcare for any future Medical Insurance Cover considerations.”
R.P. Hollingsworth
I am very happy to recommend Mr Cross for the courteous, professionanal and speedy way that he handled our insurance application.
Dr Jonathan Singer
I am very happy to recommend Access to Healthcare. Following a meeting with Simon Cross he assessed my requirements for PHI prompted by dissatisfaction with my previous insurer. He quickly sourced the market, and found a competitive policy which halved my annual premiums. All the paperwork was handled efficiently and the transfer to the new provider went without any problems.
Matthew Fletcher
Consultant Urologist
My wife (also a doctor) and I were very pleased with the service we received from Simon Cross. His long experience in the industry immediately became obvious. He was clearly aware of all the products on offer, and was very quickly able to suggest what might meet our needs and at a very competitive premium. Highly recommended.
Dr R Reid
Due to company expansion our health insurance bill was becoming a sizeable cost. We challenged Access to Healthcare to deliver us a comparable level of cover, maintain continuity of cover for all employees, minimise disruption for any transition to a new service provider and crucially, achieve significant cost savings. Access To Healthcare engaged with us and through fully understanding our requirements they delivered a highly successful outcome and importantly, kept us fully informed throughout the process.
Brian O’Shea
CFO – ElectraLink Ltd
I had been dithering for over a year before taking the plunge and setting up private health insurance; confused about the myriad of products available and some of my patients experiences, it felt like swimming amongst a shoal of sharks and dolphins – not knowing which was which.
Simon Cross was recommended by a trusted colleague and very quickly helped me choose a very cost effective package that suited the individual needs of my wife & myself.
I was impressed by his comprehensive knowledge and unbiased recommendations. I would recommend anyone considering private health insurance to contact Simon.
Chris Kingswood
