Best Private Medical Insurance

[Yankydoodledandy]

Any recommendations on private medical cover/insurance. No particular reason or illness just want to take it out so covered just incase needed.

Check what private hospitals are near you and ask them who they have direct pay arrangements with. So like near me the hospitals will invoice BUPA directly but if like me you’re stuck with a different insurer you have to pay the hospital up front and then try and reclaim from the insurer and the insurer wants info from the hospital but the hospital doesn’t understand that and it’s all a pain in the ass to deal with while ill…

So work out where you’d want to be treated and then find out from them what is easiest there.

BUPA isn’t the cheapest, but over the years has generally been the best. You need to use a solid company (usually a big name) and compare cover, as with all insurance.

I have the highest policy with AXA. Check the hospital lists (I have access to more in London than just the standard list), and no cap on consultants’ fees. Some insurers pay a limited amount, and you’ll have to top up the rest. I had surgery during lockdown and AXA were fab.

The Spire and Ramsey are private near me.

Bupa but even then depends on policy. Best policies tend to be workplace ones by big employers.

AXA make you do everything through a difficult portal.

I find this stressful and will be changing insurers shortly.

Phoning to ask a question usually involves hanging on for at least half an hour, sometimes much much longer.

They promise replies via their portal within a timescale, 48 hours or, more recently, 8 days but I found these timescales were not adhered to so I had to call.

They offer a call back service but "within 4 hours" which doesn't work for me.

I’ve had both Bupa & Axa and not had any issues with either.
My Axa policy is far better but as they were both work place policies, I assume that’s down to what my company have put in place rather than the actual insurance companies being better.

Opposite to @Mosaic123 I find the Axa portal really easy to use and means I don’t often have to actually speak to anyone. I agree the Axa call queues are long but I’ve started using the call back option and they ring within a few mins, fair faster then staying on the line so I assume everyone is on outbound calls with seems a bit random.

I have Aviva with work. So far so good. You still need to go to a GP for a referral but once you have that letter it is a completely different world. In 7 days I have met with the consultant in a lovely private hospital (free parking) I had a choice of different appointments that suited me, he was very chatty and relaxed, went through everything a number of times and gave me his contact details to get in touch if needed. I need a small procedure and hope to have it done in the next week or two. It will cost me £250 excess but if I need any other treatment this year, I don't need to pay.

I have been with Vitality for a couple of years. They give some nice perks like free cinema tickets, free coffee, cash back at Waitrose, reduced price Apple Watch. Have found them very efficient with claims too.

I was with Bupa and AXA previously too.

Check and compare the policy limits, the excess, if you can see a GP as part of the cover.

We are with AXA and have been for many years on same policy. Most companies now offer policies like car insurance, so if you don’t claim the policy won’t go up too much, but once you claim you loose your no claims and the policy renewal can increase considerably. Family of 4 started over 25 years ago was £100 per month, it’s now £400 per month. I have paid more in insurance than claimed, so looking back I should have just put money away in savings account. DH has had 3 operations, a triple heart bypass, with 15 nights in hospital, over £23,000 (beginning of covid pandemic) and 2 smaller operations. DS has had 3 knee surgeries totalling £15,000. Myself and other DS have never had to claim. AXA do a 6 week policy, basically if you cannot get seen on NHS within that time you can go private, which at the moment would be worthwhile, this works out cheaper, you also get the option for choosing your excess and outpatient cover.

Vitality cover me dh and dc

bit Speak to a broker who will do a whole of market compassion based on your needs and will be there for you if you have any issues

If you have had any medical issues in the last 5 years then go for moratorium insurance rather than full disclosure, which will permanently bar those conditions

@Mindymomo £400 a month!!!! Gosh I cant afford that!!!!

I'm with Aviva through work and they have been excellent. I can use Aviva's GP service to get a referral.

I am in Ireland so it's different here, but I was on BUPA in the UK for over 20 years and they were very good. Not cheap though, I paid £1200 a month for five of us by the end. In Ireland the medical insurance is about half the price, but different things are covered/not covered (GP's are partly covered for example, as they are not free here).

Can you explain a bit more about moratorium insurance?

Moratorium is a type of underwriting

you don’t declare anything upfront so you don’t tel the insurance company about any pre existing conditions

but if you want to make a claim on the first few years on cover you will need to get a report or detailed referral letter from your GP who holds your medical records each time you want to claim which some GPs may charge you for and the insurance companies don’t cover this cost to confirm if the condition is pre existing or not

the usual moratorium terms are anything you have experienced in the 5 years before your policy started even if you didn’t see GP or DR for is initially excluded (so painkillers for a painful knee for example would count) and when you have had 2 years on cover and you have not had any medication treatment or advice for this pre-existing condition it may become eligible

Leopardspice sums it up well. My moratorium meant that anything treated or investigated in the last 5 years wasn't covered for the first 2 years of the policy, though any new illness would be. after 2 years you are covered foreverything in your policy.

I also have Aviva through my employer. Whilst my outpatient limit is low (I assume that's down to my employer - I pay extra to increase it but it's still low, especially when we're in London), the service I've received from Aviva has been fantastic. I'm going through a pretty tough time medically right now as I have some complex medical issues to deal with but every time I speak to Aviva, the staff are just so lovely. Really genuine nice people. It makes a tough time a little easier.

As a back up I also have Benenden who are good for general surgery and diagnostics if the NHS is slow.

@leopardspice and @Brahumbug Thank you. This was the arrangement when I commenced my Bupa policy 15 years ago. Aged 63, with various conditions, I probably shouldn’t consider changing provider now.