Private Healthcare

My surgeon son-in-laws advice has always been to save up regularly, and only if necessary, to pay for private care. Monica seems to have a very good, simple system to take the stress out of this.

We didnt get those treatments free jocork but a percentage of the full cost. We had this fir a long time til I realised we only used it twice a year fir dentist and once every two or three years fir the optician. There was an issue once about dental payment which made me a bit cross so checked and found we were paying far far more in than we were claiming. It was much cheaper to just put the money aside, so we did.

When I was working I had either 'Simply Health' cover or 'Benenden' through my employer. These are not full health insurance but benefits providing dental and optical care and other services which helped if the NHS failed you, enabling you to see a specialist more quickly. There are maximum claim levels depending on your level of cover.

I wondered how they could afford to cover people so cheaply and I understand it is because people often get it as a benefit from their employer they forget they have it, so don't always claim. Employers pay for it to reduce staff sick leave.

It is somewhat more affordable but at the moment I can't really afford to pay for it myself. Then again, getting free dental and optical may almost cover the costs. I need to look at it again I think. I'm assuming if I need something really serious I'll have to dip into savings. Since retiring I certainly don't see the dentist or the optician as often!

Check out Aviva. I've saved loads changing from previous company and it's virtually like for like. Not needed to use it yet though...

I have private health care with my husbands work. I can honestly say, I don’t know where I’d be without it. I had a few years of bad health and operations, the nhs said take 3 months just to see a specialist. In that time I’d had two operations. If you can afford it get it. I don’t understand lots of people I know, saving money for kids when they die. Have money in house premiums bonds and savings, yet say can’t afford private health. We should not need to, just the NHS has been run into the ground … just get beat cover you can afford is my advice..

We have had private health insurance for quite a while. It was part of my job perks and I continued it when I retired. But the cost increases every year and we are now considering stopping it. I would advise any younger person .. to start a separate savings account and put the equivalent of the monthly subscriptions in there instead…. Then if it wasn’t used for medical reasons… the money is still there!

The only time I ever had private health insurance was when we lived abroad and there was no option. We paid I think it was called class 3 national insurance still in england to keep our contributions up even though we were not in the country and therefore did not use any NHS things. But I am totally against private health service on 2 levels. Firstly it is still a queue jumping system. The majority of the staff working in private practise were trained in the NHS and if there was no private system they would be contributing to the NHS queues (if they did not go abroad) The system is meant to provide treatment on the basis of most need, not who can afford to pay more. Secondly you also find that although the private operation is done in a private hospital there are lots of situation where if anything goes wrong or further treatment is needed they are then sent to the NHS hospital to deal with. Then we see how this government is already trying to go towards the dreadful american style of medical care. Lack of trained dentists and cutting the cost of what they are allowed to do , and putting up prescription prices are all ways this appalling government slyly cuts round the edges as much as it can . We need to keep an eye on what they are up to and not let them take away the much needed and deserved public health service. To stand by my principles I would not visit South Africa when apartheid was there even though I worked in an airline and could have got there cheaply. In the same way I would not support any private hospital or treatment.

crazyH

Seriously, why would anyone pay for private health care , when we have the best health care system in the world ? We are the envy of the world.

I doubt many on Gransnet would agree with you, as everyone in the UK seems to be complaining about the NHS.

I don't live in the UK, but what I hear and read about the NHS makes me believe that both the Danish, Dutch and German systems are greatly superior to the NHS these days.

You are definitely not the envy of the world now, I may add.

Some very sensible posts.
Teel that definitely makes more sense.
Lexigranny I'm sorry about the lack of diagnosis. Very frustrating and disappointing.
And I think you're right about seeing doctors at weekends. My mum broke her wrist on a Friday and was kept in hospital until Monday to get it fixed. And this was about 12 years ago.
I'm with Spabbygirl we need a government that cares. Everyone should be looked after equally without having to go private. The private sector is expanding rapidly.

knspol

I definitely think that we do not have the best healthcare system in the world and neither do I agree it's the envy of any developed country. I do think that if people choose to spend their money on private healthcare then good for them. I'm with BUPA and the difference between that and NHS care is phenomenal. I'm happy to do without some things to be able to afford speedy treatment in clean, comfortable surroundings where I'm treated with privacy and respect which is the opposite to what I've seen on numerous occasions when visiting others in hospital. The NHS used to be great but not any more.

Agreed.

Certainly a broken system now, not the envy of other countries.

People need to do what they need to do. If insurance works for a person then that's a good alternative to source care.

silverlining48

You can belong to Benenden wherever you live. Their main hospital is in the south east and their Head Office is York.
It was originally ( mid 1800s) a hospital for post office workers with TB, then membership only open to public servants and now open to all.

Thank you

I have cancelled my BUPA insurance. The premium this year would have been over £8,000 (I am78). I prefer to set that money aside and pay for private treatment, if needed. In the last few months I have been successfully treated on the nhs and paid privately for MRI for DH as waiting list was very long.

I definitely think that we do not have the best healthcare system in the world and neither do I agree it's the envy of any developed country. I do think that if people choose to spend their money on private healthcare then good for them. I'm with BUPA and the difference between that and NHS care is phenomenal. I'm happy to do without some things to be able to afford speedy treatment in clean, comfortable surroundings where I'm treated with privacy and respect which is the opposite to what I've seen on numerous occasions when visiting others in hospital. The NHS used to be great but not any more.

Check out Benenden Healthcare. It is not as comprehensive as BUPA and suchlike, but will consider treatment of a large variety of conditions, even pre-existing ones if the NHS waiting time is over six weeks. It is also a lot cheaper than the big companies - £12.50 monthly. My husband has had his cataract done within a couple of weeks of requesting it. They also have 24 hour medical phone advice which is great if you are having trouble getting a GP appointment, if only to put your mind at rest. You need to be a member for 6 months before qualifying for treatment.

We have had Private Health for many years and still do but use a company ipmi every year to search for best deal available for us and it so far has worked out cheaper.

I have on the whole been very satisfied with Benenden and consider it to be good value for money. The only problem I had was hitting their limit for heart investigations, they were not happy with the number that I was having. Ironically I was transferred to the local NH hospital where they seem to have given up on finding out what was causing problems, so really it was six of one and half a dozen of the other!

However I was treated at my local private hospital for three different health problems and have no complaints. In fact having been discharged on a Friday, I had problems with my eye,having had a cataract operation, and was told to return to the hospital where the surgeon, who lived in another town, would meet me. He changed my eye drops and everything was sorted within a couple of hours of ringing. My experience of The National health hospital was that it was very rare to see doctors at the weekend when you were an inpatient, unless it was a dire emergency,

The nice thing about benenden is that everyone pays the same whatever health issues anyone brings, though think you can’t join over 70. Understandable of course.
We are talking about the cost of a cup of coffee a week, hardly a fortune.

I have so many health conditions private care would be too expensive so I'm going to vote for a party that will fund the NHS better so private is less necessary. Tories didn't want the NHS but Labour & Nye Bevan persisted and eventually got it set up. The thing the Tories don't like is that it is run on socialist principles, we get the treatment we need regardless of cost, and Tories don't like paying the extra that covers someone else's health care, they only want to pay for their own. I don't want to live in a country like that and am happy to pay for universal health care

Benenden is a not-for-profit organisation.

Had I had private health care since young that would be fine, but to embark on it now cost would be astronomical. My DD had private heakth care and her cancer treatment and care were lst class but alas, unsuccessful. Both my DS also have private health insurance for all their family but taken out 20 years ago.

Most older people here in Australia have private health cover. It costs a rocket but the alternative is long, long waiting lists. The standard of care is no better which is just as it should be. God forbid there would be lower quality medical staff if you don’t pay !

all Insurance companies are money makers and health insurance companies are no exception.
I have paid house insurance for sixty years and the only occasion I made a claim it was not covered the same with Anglian Water.
Never paid insurance for my pets.

GrannySomerset

Like Grantanow, we were with CS Healthcare for years and are now with BUPA on an 80/20 basis which has served us well. Over the years DH had surgery for prostate cancer and then a hernia and cataracts, I have had two new knees and cataracts done. I keep up the premiums because I will at some point need at least one new hip. I think we all choose how we spend our money and private healthcare is my big extravagance.

That's good to know GrannySomerset. I shall continue with BUPA. If at some future time I can't afford the subs I shall move to Benenden about which I hear good reports. I live in Somerset too!

You can belong to Benenden wherever you live. Their main hospital is in the south east and their Head Office is York.
It was originally ( mid 1800s) a hospital for post office workers with TB, then membership only open to public servants and now open to all.

We've got private here in Spain, but now the wait for appointments is almost as long as health service. It's expensive and you have to pay for meds. Sometimes we can get a diagnosis from a private doctor, take it to the state doctor and get meds on prescription. We do talk about stopping every now and then but 4 months for a gynae is better than 9.