Private Healthcare

fancythat

I know someone who, when she revisits her 3rd world country, she books up as many health things as she can think of beforehand.
Disclaimer, that may certainly not be true of a lot of other countries, but it is true of hers.
Saved her months of waiting from the NHS

I trust that if something goes wrong in one of these ‘third world countries’ she doesn’t expect the NHS to put it right. Do you really mean ‘third world’ btw?

I think part of the problem with insurance contracts is that the ‘headlines’ lull one into a false sense of security which can lead to the important conditions, the ‘small print’, not sinking in. I’m not suggesting tickingbird was guilty of this at all because when she posted she’d only had a quick look. I’m simply quoting my professional experience over the years. One forms a favourable impression of a deal which colours one’s further reading. The insurer always wins.

I know someone who, when she revisits her 3rd world country, she books up as many health things as she can think of beforehand.
Disclaimer, that may certainly not be true of a lot of other countries, but it is true of hers.
Saved her months of waiting from the NHS

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 thought you were joking when you wrote that

It may have been true up to 10 years ago?

Germanshepherdsmum

I had a quick look at Saga after what you said tickingbird. I fear you may not have studied the conditions too closely.
I would certainly agree with saving the premiums up and using the pot to pay for treatment if and when required.

I suspect the numbers aren't for quite the coverage either, but I may be incorrect. Our private insurance is as a result of working for brother, his group premiums are low but there is an amount out of pocket prior to paying.

I prefer to save for everything in little pots. Dental, pets, health, Christmas pressies, holidays - we're in charge of our own money and have more saved towards our eventual care.

Have you thought about pay as you go? It will be much cheaper in the long run plus quite a lot of services that are covered you still have to pay a extra excess on the top.
Having worked as a Health care Professional in both the Private Sector, and NHS personally I wouldn't want to be treated in my local private Hospital.
I would however recommend beening treated on the local Hospital Private ward, they have the skills 24/7 emergency backup on site,only difference is any investigations are not done in the normal working day, plus the generated income goes back into the Hospital coffers.

We have Benenden, about £25 a month. DH had his cataracts done privately through them before lockdown, he’d still be waiting if he hadn’t.
I’ve just been referred for an MRI, only a 3 week wait on NHS which is amazing.

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.

In no way will I talk down the NHS but the 'envy of the world' trope is just one pushed by politicians who want us to believe it can't be any better.

I have a Swedish colleague who called me up the morning after the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony saying 'What was all that about? We have a health service too.'

Chestnut, we were paying £200 a month to BUPA and this amount is still the amount we are putting in each month.

When we started DH was working and he put a couple of thousand in the savings account to get us over any help we might need in the first year - if we needed a consultation, but since then it has just accumulated. Mostly it has been a consultants appointment. We have only taken amounts in excess of £1,000 twice and both were less than £2,000.

As I said, anything critical or acute, the NHS is superb. DH had a heart attack and needed urgent bypass surgery - and that was all NHS.

I have had some minor problems recently, nothing uncomfortable or disabling and I am amblibg through the NHS at present and have got signed up to a research project at our local University Hospital. This comes with a free taxi to and from the hospital and regular scans and checkups.

But the money remains ours, all ours and reverts to our estate when we die. Or, as happened when the finance for our extension was delayed, we paid a builder's bill out of it, and returned the money a month later when the finance came through.

The older you are when you join, the most expensive it is. And they will ask for you to declare any and all pre-exisiting conditions. They will add hugely to cost, or be excluded from cover. Most will ask for a true and factual report from your GP, who will have to list all pre-existing conditions.

Thanks for that GSM. I haven’t taken it out as still considering my options. I shall take a closer look!

That's a fascinating post M0nica but how much did you pay to BUPA monthly, and then continued to pay? You seem to have accumulated quite a bit.

I had a quick look at Saga after what you said tickingbird. I fear you may not have studied the conditions too closely.
I would certainly agree with saving the premiums up and using the pot to pay for treatment if and when required.

We have BUPA. I have just had a cataract done in a private clinic. It is not cheap, particularly since DH started his cancer treatment, but we feel, your health comes first in life. We live fairly frugally but choose to pay to have prompt treatment. Everyone has a right to choose what their priorities are in life.

That is a really good idea MOnica and what I do to pay for dental work.

Insurance companies are not charities and are there to make money. I only pay for essential insurance, travel, house and cars.

There are pitfalls to consider when taking out private insurance which I’m sure you’re aware of tickingbird.
A first year’s premium is not what you will pay in subsequent years. It will increase each year, and of course as you age.

Some treatments are better on NHS.

I worked in the NHS all my working life so have to declare a prejudice and I do not agree that cut out all the waste in so many areas is the solution to what is ailing the NHS.

Our local private hospital is not one I should care to be a patient in. They’re not all like luxury hotels!

Elless Instead of paying extortionate healthcare premiums. Take the money that would otherwise go on pemiums into a savings account each month and watch it mount up.

We had health insurance for about 10 years when we were in our 60s. We worked out we paid out £28,000 in that time, apart for paying for cataract surgery, we used it for nothing else so were nearly £20,000 out of pocket.

When we reached 70 our subscription charges doubled, so we did the calculation above, cancelled out health insurance and instead we opened a savings account at the local building society and set up a DD to transfer to the Building Soc, the amount we had paid to BUPA during our membership.

Ten years later we still pay the same amount in each month. We now have a 5 figure sum in the building society, enough to pay for 2 hip operations, despite taking money out for a variety of minor medical needs, several private appointments with consultants, one course of treatment and expensive dental treatment.

Anything acute and/or critical is picked up by the NHS. Private money, in our case, are for things the doctor is unenthusiastic about referring on, or where queues are long.

All that money we could have spent on health care is all still in out personal 'Hospital Fund' and is available for other uses if really necessary, ncluding paying for healthcare for children and grandcildren.

That’s very good tickingbird. When DH retired in 2005, we were quoted £500 a month even though we both hadn’t used the system much at all - although I’d had a piece of cartilage taken from my knee as a day patient. We decided it just wasn’t worth it and if we needed to go private for anything we’d just pay. We did the same with pet insurance when we had 10 dogs at home.

tickingbird Firstly I don’t believe our health service is the envy of the world anymore.

Indeed No envy, from anyone!

Firstly I don’t believe our health service is the envy of the world anymore. The NHS is failing and unless someone has the guts to take it on and cut out all the waste in so many areas it will get worse.

I’ve been looking into private health insurance and Saga looked promising. Old concerns are covered - it’s anything that you haven’t consulted the dr about in the previous 3 years. For the top, super cover, no limit of claims, it was £130 per month with two months free for the first year. I haven’t decided yet.

Germanshepherdsmum

At my age and with existing conditions insurance would be very expensive and would come with exclusions. I would rather simply pay for private treatment if and when needed.

I’ve done that. I had my cataract operation privately, but don’t have insurance for private care.

Farzanah I can understand those who aren’t wealthy paying privately for a one off procedure, if in pain, to skip the long waiting lists.

Precisely. It's not always insurance or treatment in UK.

We couldn't wait for our knee replacement(s), bone on bone - had to be accomplished, too painful to wait/ no real walking.

At my age and with existing conditions insurance would be very expensive and would come with exclusions. I would rather simply pay for private treatment if and when needed.

I can only speak about them through the company policies we have had:
Norwich Union - worked well, claims dealt with no problems
BUPA - excellent in every way, expensive I believe
AXA PPP - not so good, sometimes raised objections

I can’t see how many older people can afford private health care plans. Statistically we cost the health service most during the last few years of our lives. and premiums, restrictions and exclusions on policies will reflect this. There is also the rising cost of procedures, a hip replacement in my area costs £14+.
Insurance companies do not run at a loss!

I may be mistaken of course and there may plenty of super rich Gransnetters and I can understand those who aren’t wealthy paying privately for a one off procedure, if in pain, to skip the long waiting lists.

I am so thankful that we have a national health service free at the point of delivery, and hope we don’t go down the road of a private health insurance schemes, similar to USA, however tempting it may be in the present crisis. The only winners will be insurance firms and pharmaceutical companies.

To have a health service that is the envy of the world, as we once had, we will have to pay for it through taxation. It is an ideological choice which the government can make - or not, as at present.