Pre-authorisation
Getting the insurer’s agreement to treatment before it happens.
Most insurers require you to call before booking private treatment so they can confirm the condition is eligible, the consultant and hospital are recognised, and the cost is within your limits. Skipping this step is one of the most common reasons an otherwise valid claim is reduced or refused. Pre-authorisation is an administrative check on cover; it is not a clinical decision about your treatment.
Where this comes up
Guides that use this term
- Endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS and insurance cover
- Private health insurance in London: hospitals, costs and choices
- Does health insurance help you skip NHS waiting lists?
- How does private health insurance work in the UK?
- Private health insurance in Manchester and the North West
- Private health insurance in Birmingham and the Midlands
- Private health insurance in Scotland: NHS context and cover
- Private health insurance in Northern Ireland
