Getting cancer cover is not always easy but a scheme has been launched by a health insurance insurance company which allows patients to receive expensive drugs that are banned on the Health Service. The number of cancer cases has been projected to rise by a third to 300,000 a year by 2020. Our survival rates are among the worst in Europe, because we spend less on treating the disease than many other countries. Some advanced drugs that are used in Europe are not available on the NHS. It is because of this that the news from Western Provident Association is to be congratulated.

The name of the scheme isMyCancerDrugs and it pays a lifetime maximum of £50,000. A patient still has their care from the NHS, but it pays for drugs and private treatment to administer them. With some advanced drugs costing £10,000 a month, critics believe the cap of £50,000 is too low, but premiums are cheap.

Premiums are the same as your age, so a 40-year old pays £40 a year plus 5% insurance premium tax (£42 in total). Smokers pay double, while children under 21 can be included for £22.05 a year. It's only available up to the age of 65 and anyone whose parents or siblings had cancer before the age of 60 will not be eligible. It also won't pay out within 90 days of taking out the policy. Cancer usually strikes after the age of 65 but with statistics showing that breast cancer is striking women in their 30’s, this may be the only real negative restriction of the treatment.