Guided option
A lower premium in return for the insurer choosing your consultant or hospital from its network.
A guided option trades choice for price: instead of picking any recognised consultant yourself, you are directed to a consultant or hospital within the insurer’s own network, and the premium is lower in return. It suits buyers who care more about cost and speed than about a named consultant, and it is common in areas with deep consultant supply. The trade-off is worth reading in the policy wording before you buy: how the consultant is selected, what happens if you want a second opinion, and which hospitals the network includes where you live.
Where this comes up
Guides that use this term
- Private health insurance in Manchester and the North West
- How the NHS and private healthcare fit together
- Private health insurance in London: hospitals, costs and choices
- Private health insurance in Birmingham and the Midlands
- Private health insurance in Scotland: NHS context and cover
- Private health insurance in Wales: NHS context and cover
- Private health insurance in Northern Ireland
- Private health insurance in rural areas of the UK
