PHC (no longer available)

You are able to choose from to suit your needs. Cover differs between each of these plans. Plan 4 has the lowest monthly premiums of these options; plan 1 has the highest.

Pre-existing conditions are not covered (see below). The handbook gives further details of what else is not covered, which includes treatment at a hospital not listed in the directory of hospitals, dental care, and pregnancy and childbirth.

All plans are based on moratorium underwriting: this means that for any medical condition that you've had in the last five years where you've sought advice, consultation or treatment in the last two years PHC won't cover you for those conditions until you have been a member for two years in a row and you've been completely trouble-free from that condition for a consecutive two-year period after you join. Your cover will then be subject to the terms and conditions of the healthcare plan you take out.

See the ‘exclusions and limitations’ and ‘underwriting’ sections of the brochure for more details.

You can take out individual insurance for yourself, or you can also choose to cover your spouse/co-habiting partner and/or your children (dependants) at a multiplier of your individual rate. The Private Healthcare- rates table covers multiplier rates.

A dependant is a child, stepchild or foster child who you are legally responsible for of up to 25 years of age.

If a dependant is under 25 (i.e. up to 24 years and 364 days) at the scheme renewal date, they can remain on the scheme until the following renewal.

You can leave the scheme at any point. However, you will be subject to moratorium underwriting from your new start date if you leave and later re-join. Please note that from 1 April 2024, the PHC scheme will be closed to new entrants or employees wishing to re-join the scheme. Imperial is currently looking into a new private health insurance provider and will provide further details on this as soon as possible.

If you wish to leave the policy, please contact payroll@imperial.ac.uk, referencing your CID and stating the last month you wish your policy to cover, with at least one calendar month's notice.

If you need to add or remove a partner or dependants, please email payroll@imperial.ac.uk with your CID, the title, surname, first name, middle initial(s) and date of birth of the individual(s), whether this is an addition or a removal, and whether each individual is a partner or dependant.

If the addition is a newborn within three months of birth, you must fill in and submit the Addition of a baby application form before your policy can be updated. (If you do not know your policy number, please leave this blank).

Please note that from 1 April 2024, the PHC scheme will be closed to new entrants or employees wishing to re-join the scheme. Imperial is currently looking into a new private health insurance provider and will provide further details on this as soon as possible. However, if you are currently enrolled in PHC, you are still able to contact the Payroll team with the above requests to add/remove a partner/dependant for the time being.

When you leave the College, you will be charged for and receive cover up to the last calendar day of the month in which you leave, regardless of when your last day of employment is within that month.

PHC will contact you with the option to continue your cover after leaving by transferring to a personal plan with their underwriter, AXA PPP healthcare.

Each year, the prices are reviewed, with amendments to prices linked to a number of external market factors such as increased demand and usage rates for healthcare services, economy-wide inflation, and increased hospital treatment costs as some examples. These factors (plus any other unforeseen circumstances which may arise) can fluctuate quite frequently, therefore, it is difficult to forecast how future rates will be set year on year.

Your policy will auto-renew at the renewal rate agreed, and this will be communicated to you prior to renewal. There is the option to switch to a new plan, however this can only happen at the renewal stage due to underwriting restrictions. Any adjustments to your current plan outside of the renewal stage would mean the underwriting would re-commence, which would exclude any pre-existing conditions previously covered. If this is something you are considering, you can contact PHC directly to discuss your current plan and options before the auto-renewal takes place.

You can also choose to opt out by contacting payroll@imperial.ac.uk at least one calendar month before your renewal date.

No: group premium rates are reviewed for 1 October and 1 April each year, but once you have signed up your rate will not increase until your annual renewal date.

If you need to make a claim, call PHC Claims on 0800 068 7111.

No: the College does not offer this option. Over 80 hospitals and clinics located in London are available in the plan’s directory of hospitals.

All policyholders must reside at a UK address. All hospitals in PHC’s directory of hospitals are located in the UK.

There is no transfer option for this scheme. If you sign up to this PHC scheme, only new conditions from the inception of this policy would be covered (subject to terms and conditions).

Your membership of the insurance scheme will continue through maternity leave, other family leave, or any other period of statutory pay or unpaid leave (e.g. unpaid sabbatical).

Your monthly premium will not be deducted during periods of statutory pay or nil pay, but the cost will be recouped from you following your return to work.

If you leave and later re-join the scheme, your moratorium underwriting (where pre-existing conditions are not covered) will begin anew from the date you re-join.

PHC's privacy notice summary and AXA PPP's full data privacy notice are available to view online.

Please make sure you read these notices once you have taken out a policy.

For more information on PureGym and Doctor@Hand, please contact hrrewardandbenefits@imperial.ac.uk.

If you have a question about the scheme that isn't answered in these FAQs or in the PHC documentation linked above, please contact hrrewardandbenefits@imperial.ac.uk.