Fees charged by GP's for issuing reports for medical insurers have gone up by around 9% following discussions between the Association of British Insurers and the British Medical Association.
The fee for a GP's report has increased from £65 in 2004/5 to £70.50 in2005/6, which is a rise of 8.5%. The fee for a medical examination has gone up by 9.2%, from £71 in 2004/5 to £77.50 in 2005/6.
The new fees, which will take effect from 1st July 2005 and be revised again in April next year, have been set as part of a new agreement between the Association of British Insurers and the British Medical Association, which aims to make the process more streamlined.
Under the terms of the agreements, GP's will have to return reports within 20 working days of the initial request, and in some instances be issued much quicker.
Our view
Our experience is that most GP's take the issuing of these reports seriously, however all too often they are sat on a GP's desk for weeks. GP's fail to realise that
1. They are paid to complete the reports and
2. Delays in completion can mean life insurance of other protection insurance is delayed or even declined.
If a client of died or had a serious illness during the application and medical review stage and a GP had even delayed the completion of such a report for even just a week, guess who we would hold responsible for any failed or missed cover?
A tough one but some GP's need to take such report requests a little more seriously.