BUPA

Why BUPA? You should speak to a broker who can get you quotes from different companies depending on the level of cover you require. Eg we are in North London and our cover would double if we wanted to be able to use Central London Hospitals.

It depends on the level you have - there are about 5 different levels and ours is the middle one - so we pay £500 each excess (you pay yourself in that year) and then £400 a month which covers the two of us for the rest of the time. Originally husband's company paid it but on retirement we do! Same age as yourself in my case - have had 2 different types of cancer (breast and uterine) and ablation for AF so defo been worth it in our case - use London hospitals as well. Doesn't cover dentist.

Sorry, not to derail, but I love your username.

It may not be too much now but once you turn 70 and age it becomes quite expensive.

I became very disillusioned with many aspects of BUPA (I twice waited three weeks to have an initial consultation). Their PR is great but be sure to read between the lines - you will need to understand exactly what is on offer.

I have no idea if other private health providers would be better. The idea of a broker who could obtain quotes for you is sensible however, you will need to remember everything about your past health which can be difficult!

Good luck.

Subscribing to BUPA in later life is very expensive and they will probably exclude any preexisting conditions. Best option is to pay for any treatment you need as it occurs. Many private hospitals publish a cost guide to give you an idea of the amount involved.

SallyHave a look at Benenden.

We had private health insurance and when we hit 70 the monthly amount we were expected to pay doubled. We worked out that we had paid in around £25,000 over 10 years and only claimed £6,000.

So we opened a savings account, we call the 'Health Fund'. Each month we put in the value of the subscription we used to pay to BUPA. We have never increased it. We now have enough money set aside to pay for any elective surgery we may need, including hip replacement. What is more, all the money we have saved is still ours, all ours and in an emergency can be used for other purposes.

silverlining48

*Sally*Have a look at Benenden.

I'm with Benenden too.
I pay £11 per month. Its very good value. Supplements NHS care

M0nica

We had private health insurance and when we hit 70 the monthly amount we were expected to pay doubled. We worked out that we had paid in around £25,000 over 10 years and only claimed £6,000.

So we opened a savings account, we call the 'Health Fund'. Each month we put in the value of the subscription we used to pay to BUPA. We have never increased it. We now have enough money set aside to pay for any elective surgery we may need, including hip replacement. What is more, all the money we have saved is still ours, all ours and in an emergency can be used for other purposes.

That’s a good plan for anyone who has not got a long-standing BUPA plan, in normal times the NHS will treat you in a reasonable timespan. Often paying for a private consultation and diagnosis will speed up NHS treatment at a small cost.

Often paying for a private consultation and diagnosis will speed up NHS treatment at a small cost
Benenden will do this.

The advantage of having our own health savings is that we decide what to spend it on. No arguments about whether the treatment falls within the plan, or is really necessary. No worries about pre-existing conditions. If we decide we want to see a specialist, we just do it and pay for it from our own private fund.

I think that sounds an excellent idea MOnica
Of course in some cases with private insurance, people would gain in terms of the medical treatment they had received, compared with what they had they had paid in but these private medical insurances are a business, to make money, so inevitably the odds are in their favour.

The idea of still having the savings if we didn’t use it all up would appeal to me too!

Having said that, posters have mentioned a company called Benenden before and the amounts quoted as monthly payments seem very reasonable.

I have paid to see a Consultant privately a couple of times over the past few years, but that was only in the region of a couple of hundred pounds each time which we have just paid.
Once you get into the realms of say hip replacements then you are talking about £14 to £15,000.

JenniferEccles Given time you get there (£14-15,000).

Like you we have only drawn down on it for occasional consultant appointments, but we have been putting this money aside for nearly 10 years - and it mounts up! When we compare it with what we would have paid to BUPA - with few claims and no payback, we are left feeling rather smug.

nadateturbe

^Often paying for a private consultation and diagnosis will speed up NHS treatment at a small cost^
Benenden will do this.

Same here. Benenden every time. I really don't understand why more people don't do it.

I know Blinko. It's really worth having.

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Spam, I think...

Why would anyone pay for Health Insurance when we have the best Health Service in the world ? Yes, you may to wait a little while for a Hip or Knee Replacement. But if the symptoms call for further investigation, you will be seen within a fortnight.

Unfortunately the wait for a hip or knee replacement is very long indeed.
DD just asked how much a private hip replacement would be at her nearest private hospital. It was a whopping £17,000. She'd have to have been putting money away for decades to have saved this.

Another vote for Benenden. I had my Gall Bladder surgery privately, paid for by Benenden (as the NHS wait was more than a few weeks and I was having extremely painful attacks). When I was diagnosed with cancer, they gave me up to £1000 to buy any necessary items needed and for a 4 night break, dinner, b & b and reasonable travel exs, in a hotel of our choice as a sort of convalescence after radiotherapy had finished. Benendon do this for cancer as NHS wait times are usually quick. They do have 2 sorts of policy, the other is the usual dental, optical, physio sort. Look them up, we have been with them for years and the cost is very reasonable.

Eeeek surely not? I am
Also on the hip hop Market thought it was about 10k which is plenty, and we live south east which always had a premium.

We too have benenden membership and we would get a members discount for a hip
Op making it about £8000.

silverlinings it's a huge increase. DD was quoted that on Friday. I'd thought it would be about £12500/13000 at a push.

That was very excellent Kateykrunch.
I too am with Benenden. I pay for my daughter too. I don't expect her to need it any time soon ( touch wood ) but I just wanted to give Benenden the custom because I think they are very good.