Insuring against an operation

PEOPLE without comprehensive medical insurance can now apply for a scheme from General Portfolio Life Insurance which covers the cost of surgical operations.

The scheme offers a new service called Operation Cost Benefit and is available to anyone aged 16-55 who is not covered by an existing medical insurance policy.

It pays cash for any operations carried out under general anaesthetic in a UK hospital.

The scheme provides up to pounds 100,000 worth of cover in a five-year period. The cost for a 29-year-old male non-smoker is pounds 17.95 a month.