Work health cover, do most people not claim?

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This is a new thing offered by my employer. We don't pay anything, I don't know what the employer pays, but I'd guess it can't be a lot (school trust).

I've just been paid my first claim, for physio I was having anyway. It has fairly low maximus (unless you upgrade), but i reckon in a year I'll claim c. £350 just for dentist, opticians, physio and prescription charges i would have been paying anyway. Then there's an option for counselling and some alternative therapies if you want them, and an online GP, gym membership discount, shopping offers.

So how do the insurers make any money, if everyone will legitimately be able to claim up to the maximum, just through routine treatments?

People often don’t claim. I used the online GP once. They said it was viral. Turned out to be a horrendous bout of Strep B. Super easy to diagnose with the mouth white which they never asked.

Wouldn’t use them again unless you know what your after. And then it’s private. So might not work out as private prescriptions are different prices to standard nhs. So you would have to research prices also.

IME people actually don’t claim as much as they could. But also how much money insurers make depends on how much your employer is paying for the policy?

my husband has occupational health insurance which we pay to include the whole family. This year our claims will be around £15k worth as a minimum.

I get a minimum amount too, work for a charity. I think a lot people forget it - but you get taxed on what you can claim - so it's worth it!

I get private health care through work, it doesn’t cover dentist, opticians or prescription charges. I also don’t use the online doctor much as I prefer in person and my NHS doctors is actually really good. The one thing I have used it for is my ASD and ADHD diagnosis. My employer pays around £50 a month for mine, so I imagine yours costs more then £350 a year.

Are you sure your insurance covers all those things? I pay my own prescription charges and only dental operations are covered, not routine check ups or hygeinist etc.

Yes, it's not health insurance. It doesn't cover illness, but "wellbeing", so the routine things. There is an option for a one off consultant for diagnosis, but nothing after that.

Still a useful benefit though.

I use ours all the time for dental, opticians, physio etc.

A house full of spectacle wearers and sporty people 😂

Like any insurance, they bank on people not using it. We've got similar cover and I've just got a £170 pair of glasses for "free"! I don't think most of my colleagues have claimed anything.

It is probably costing your employer upwards of £1k a year depending on age of employee. My private health policy costs my employer £3k so there is plenty of profit in it for the insurer. You should be able to see the cost on your wage slip as you will be taxed on it.

I always claim for dental, optical and physio. Loads of colleagues have never bothered. I added my husband for £6.59 a month - we've both just had new glasses and claimed £105 each. I've also had 6 minor surgeries through my BUPA so I'm the one using everybody else's premiums up 😀

I have private healthcare through AXA with my work, I don’t pay anything monthly but I did have to pay £100 excess. I’m having a total hysterectomy including ovaries removed in 2 weeks time. The cost of that will be 10k+. I’d be waiting years to see NHS gynae and have the procedure

@Lillipops good luck!

im having hip surgery in November with a specialist that previously operated on the nhs. I booked it this week and November was mutually agreed. He tells me NHS would be a minimum 18 months wait from my appointment next month that I’ve been waiting for since April, so 2 years. I’m on long term sick and hopefully work will tolerate me being off until new year with op and recovery. They certainly wouldn’t be able to wait for two years plus. I work for the NHS and it doesn’t sit well with my sensibilities, but I’m in constant agony and in two years I think I’d have no mental health left.

Both my adult sons have this, one gets £110 per year towards the cost of glasses, the other uses his allowance on 3 physio sessions, it’s something extra for them, but both say it’s difficult to talk about with colleagues as they are unsure whether everyone gets it.