Private medical insurance

Another Benenden fan here. Good backup when the nhs can't act quickly enough. So far, I've had a cataract op, gall bladder removal and MRI scan followed by physio when I'd have had to wait months for the poor old nhs.

My father and father in law both had Bupa cover but stopped it in their mid late 60's, when the premiums and illnesses that would be covered made it frankly worthless.

I know this question is often asked but why don't we all pay more specifically to support our NHS? I am not criticising those who have paid for private health insurance in saying this but why do we have a government that is intent on privatising. We are all facing the realities caused by the cuts to our NHS services. Our local health centre, like so many, is now struggling to attract GP's. We have a two week wait to see a GP unless it's an emergency in which case, you're still seen on the day.

Singingnutty - it sounds as if you have what is called 'Local' cover as opposed to full cover where you have an excess but everything else is covered. We have kept our private medical insurance going by changing providers (through a broker) but it is an outlay and I know that at some point, probably when we most need it, we will have to give it up. Most of the people we know say that once you reach 80 it becomes impossible to maintain as the premiums rocket. Our premiums are probably higher anyway because we live in London. Also, my husband has had 10 years of ill health and ops.
Like all insurance it is a gamble. We have had more than our monies worth from our insurance in the past but last year neither of us used it, thank heavens.
One of our issues is that our local NHS hospital group is not one of the best and I know, because my aged mother has just spent the night sleeping in A n E, that none of the three General hospitals in the group had a bed free last night.
I also have experience of the local fracture clinic and shudder at the memory. Only you can decide when the payments become too much for your budget.

We used to have private health insurance but gave it up when DH retired. We decided that on the odd occasions we needed private treatment we would just pay for it out of savings and to date it has cost only the same as the annual charge.

We are as with Benenden and have been happy with them. The price is reasonable and they are good to deal with. No complaints at all.

Gave up private healthcare years ago,it got too much even in my fifties. We're very lucky here, very good drs and hospitals, so it's not worth it for us.

singnutty I agree, that is why we did it that way.

The idea of putting the money we would have paid to BUPA into a savings account instead is a really good one. I mentioned it to DH and he said we should just put the money into our investment wrap, but I feel that mentally it would be better in a separate account. It's a bit like someone I know who gave up smoking and put the money he would have spent into a savings account and quickly found he could buy himself an expensive leather coat. Anyway, thanks for the idea - I like it and will convince DH I hope.

I second your method MOnica. DH and I have always followed this path. Fortunately we are quite healthy, but have paid when the NHS was not available.

singnutty When DH was working we were covered by private health policies taken out by his company, so when he retired, we decided to continue to have private insurance, we shopped around and found a good low cost scheme, but with a big excess.

Over 10 years we used it for 3 minor procedures. When we hit 70 the rate we were paying, which had been rising rapidly, doubled and we sat down and did the maths and reckoned in the 10 years we had had the insurance, payments had exceeded claims by over £10,000. So we stopped it.

Instead, we opened a savings account, which we call the Health Insurance account and started putting the monthly sum in there instead. It earns a little interest and every penny of it is available for health bills.

Since we started it, we have paid for three minor procedures, where the NHS was either inadequate or where there were long waits. We now have a five figure sum in the account, which in an emergency we could spend on other things. Our first port of call is always the NHS, but the account gives us flexibility.

I suggest you do some thing similar. Stop the policy and put the premium money in a savings account each month. You will very quickly find the balance builds up - and your premium never goes up!

It sounds as though the premiums you have paid over the years are to some extent money down the drain, as they are not coming up with the goods when they are needed. Starting a new policy now is likely you cost an arm and a leg. I am surprised that the company honoured your OH's hearing problems as they were a pre-exisiting condition.

As to the NHS.........they are brilliant at emergencies, but not so great at routine care. I am almost immobile at the moment, having one broken foot that never mended and my other foot now very painful indeed for unknown reasons. I have been told that it will take about 10 days to 2 weeks to just get an x-ray - and then it is a couple of weeks for the results to go to GP, who then organises treatment, which, if it involves a referral, could take months. In the meantime my mobility is massively impaired and very painful. I guess I will get good care when I get there - but it is likely to take a long time.