Private health insurance - what is useful, what isn’t?

[Amadeaa]

I’m looking into getting private insurance…would anyone like to share experiences? I’m curious to hear which providers people are happy with, but also what I should watch out for in general, what should be included…thank you!

We have ours provided through work so it’s a bit different (eg they can’t refuse treatment based on pre existing conditions ) I’d look for info on

• excess per year, both what you have to pay up front before insurance kicks in, and whether there’s an upper max limit on treatment
• where you’re covered for, in regards to Drs and clinics etc. our old insurance always used to push us for their clinics / hospitals which sometimes weren’t local
• referrals; do you need a gp referral (nightmare atm with wait times etc) or will they take self referrals
• authorisation for treatment methods - we had to call a triage line who’d issue the paperwork before you could see a specialist. Highlighting this as it’s a layer of admin
• What won’t they cover

I'm with bupa, I've kept the price down with very limited outpatient cover but I do have cover for all outpatient tests and scans etc. This works for me as the tests are the most expensive, the consultations are relatively inexpensive.

I've claimed with bupa and have been happy with how they've dealt with my claim.

Bupa are very quick to authorise treatment with one phone call in my experience.

Thank you that’s really helpful!