To spend £650 each month on health insurance?

[startingallover]

£650 pays out monthly to cover me, dh and our four children. We can't really afford it but we're making it a priority over other things. Dh wants us to cancel and says it's a waste of money. He says we could put some money in a pot and use it if we needed to pay for treatment. I know this wouldn't happen though as we have actually reduced our bill lately and have to pay £250 excess per year. Since then we are being far more careful. Cancer runs in my family and I do worry about getting ill. The peace of mind of being able to go in and get checked the same week is worth the sacrifices we make. But dh really wants me to cancel it. It's a big payment each week but I can't bring myself to ring up and cancel it. AIBU?

[BeaufortBelle]

I agree with putting the money into a "pot" perhaps £450. If one of you is very seriously ill you will get NHS care. The private stuff is a god send for the less essential bits with long waits or which are for your comfort and reassurance. For example, I have a broken vertebrae due to osteoporosis. The NHS picked up the latter and is treating me. My present back pain is regarded as chronic and I will pay for an MRI scan to check disks and some private advice and physio for reassurance and optimum treatment for discomfort but I know it won't kill me. To get that on the NHS would mean about a 9 month wait because the GP won't even refer until the crack heals, six weeks of physio with a ten week wait, etc.

What I will say is that the NHS is not excellent in all aspects nowadays and specifically quote child and adolescent mental health. My DD has been unwell recently. CAMHS refused to provide an adequate or accessible intervention to help her get better. They would have allowed her to deteriorate further, probably drop out of school, etc, before she was seen by a psychiatrist. That is an example of where the NHS is not providing acceptable treatment.

Personally I think the NHS provision needs to be enhanced with some top ups. Not necessarily via insurance though.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Why don't you just save the money and use to pay for private consultants on an ad hoc basis? You don't need this sort of bonkers money to go to private health providers - you can pay yourself for one off consultations and eg physio. Which will work out much cheaper in the long run.

The NHS is brilliant for the serious stuff. I saw a consultant within 2 weeks following a GP referral for suspected cancer, was operated on that day. Back for further surgery within the next three weeks and have had 3-6 monthly checks since then, which I will have for life, as the cancer is hereditary.

[YoungGirlGrowingOld]

The NHS is only "good" at cancer if you can get referred into the system in the first place. If your GP doesn't want to refer you under the TWR then you will wait. And wait. And wait.

Also, since the OP is particularly concerned about cancer specifically, it's worth remembering that the NHS cannot and will not cover the newer, more expensive treatments. Private insurance will. So NHS may be "good at cancer" but not necessarily if you want the most up to date treatment.

[Jibberjabberjooo]

I think you need to look at treating your anxieties rather than wasting £650 every month. I'm a nurse so biased towards the NHS but equally my dh has worked privately so I know of both sides. But that amount of money every month is bonkers, sorry.

[BipBippadotta]

You are paying a fuck of a lot of money.

I would keep some form of insurance for you and dp if you've got health worries and if you don't have a decent GP. I live in a part of the UK where the NHS is dreadfully stretched, all local hospitals in special measures, GP under strict orders not to refer anyone for anything, you can't get an appt for weeks and after various disasters.

I signed up for a private GP service and they can do quick appointments and get blood test results fast (rather than waiting 10 weeks as you do with my GP, who then loses them as often as not). They also do an annual medical MOT where they check liver & kidney function, thyroid, etc. It's much less than what you're paying and does give me peace of mind.

If you're particularly worried about cancer, getting diagnosed quickly is of paramount importance - and from what I understand the NHS can take it from there and do as good a job as anyone else.

Good luck.

[SquinkiesRule]

In the UK I would just put £500 a month in the pit for just in case.
We paid about that for family cover in the US but our excess was $15,000 so it was really just for catastrophic illness. I paid for each doctor visit but got a discount for having the insurance.

[SquinkiesRule]

Pot not pit.

[bloodynoris]

That is a lot especially if you can't really afford it. If you was to have any treatment privately and there was an emergency you would be taken to an nhs hospital any way. If cancer and runs in the family you would get a referral very quick on nhs anyway.

[Petal02]

We (me and DH) work on a 'pay as you go' basis with private health care. I had an ankle operation two years ago. It was £2500 for the op, and approx £1500 for the aftercare - X-rays, physio, check-ups with the surgeon etc.

Hopefully you don't need that sort of thing very often, so it works out cheaper to 'pay as you go' rather than have insurance.

In the event of an emergency/accident/catastrophe, the NHS would sort things out (I don't think many private hospitals take emergency admissions?).

OP - I totally understand your concerns, but think you'd better off saving a lesser amount each month into a 'medical expenses' savings account.

[BeaufortBelle]

Interesting though there's a thread on here at the moment about £1000 handbags and a lit of posters don't feel they have to justify it yet the OP here is being slated for spending £162.50 per family member per month on healthcare.

I bet the kids aren't that expensive. I'd cover them and put yours and DH's premiums in the bank. Sort out their grommets, ingrowing toenails, broken nose (sport), that sort of stuff that the NHS isn't great over.

[Ipsos]

I would keep it. I have private health insurance and it's got us out of all sorts of difficult situations. The NHS has failed us badly on a whole series of occasions. I don't know how we'd manage without our Bupa health insurance.

If you can't insure the whole family you could just do yourself or yourself and children.

[Titsywoo]

Sorry but if I were you I would use some of the money for therapy for your anxiety issues and put the rest in a savings account so if you do want anything done privately you can. However I think you may be having unnecessary tests done privately because of your anxiety (I.e. a lump that doctors say is fine you think is not so pay to get it checked). Reassurance is a big part of health anxiety and it is a vicious circle (believe me I know!)

[StealthPolarBear]

Op how old are you and have you considered that your real problem is health anxiety?
I'm mid 30s and as far as I'm concerned it's not usual to have lumps and health scares regularly. You sound like you have a few a year. I mean this kindly - I think that is the issue.
also as a rulw of thumb I would pay from private elective treatment, but not emergency. And not cancer

[CeeceeBloomingdale]

No way would I pay it in the uk. If you get something hideous like cancer (God forbid) you would be seen quickly on the nhs, an ingrowing toenail can wait. Private healthcare is essentially the same doctor, nicer curtains and meals and an ambulance ride to the nearest nhs hospital,if you need crash. You couldn't pay me to use it

[AllPizzasGreatAndSmall]

BeaufortBelle
The people buying £1000 handbags may well have health insurance and I bet they are not paying £650 a month. Presumably those buying bags can afford it without their family struggling financially, so I don't see the issue.

[BoffinMum]

That's a lot of money given I don't think you are in the US, and I don't think you need it at all. I have a great Aviva policy that covers a great deal for five of us and it's only £87 a month. I also have a BUPA cash plan for routine healthcare expenses, at something like £45 a month for the whole family, and we actually make a profit from that, as it reimburses dentistry, optician, new glasses, physio, chiropodist, outpatient consultant appointments, prescriptions, and so on.

I know a good broker if you want one who may be able to slash your bills. PM me if you would like his name.

[BoffinMum]

BeaufortBelle, we've had the opposite experience with CAMHS around here and there is no way I would go private as the NHS care was absolutely excellent, world class in fact. Complete postcode lottery.

[rookiemere]

That's a ridiculous amount of money.
I have private medical cover because of my work and it was useful for my condition - Endometriosis as it's non life threatening so therefore low priority on NHS but really impacted my quality of life. However NHS generally pretty good for major things.

My recommendation would be to save the money instead. If you do need medical advice did you know that you can pay for a consultant - usually £200 for an initial consultation and then dependant on the outcome they can put you back into the NHS system.

[BoffinMum]

I was just thinking about waiting lists our family has been involved with, and thinking about it, apart from my SPD treatment fiasco in 2008/9, we seem to wait around two weeks or so for an NHS consultant appointment each time, which is about the same time as it usually takes to get into a private consultant's clinic, unless we are lucky. We waited a bit longer for an orthodontist appointment but DS's teeth weren't quite ready for action anyway, so not a problem. The private orthodontist had a much, much longer waiting list and more limited appointment times. In the event the NHS even managed to redeem itself in relation to my SPD by rapidly putting me on a Pain Management course as soon as that was a realistic possibility and the course itself was quite astonishingly well-resourced and effective.

Obviously waiting lists are an issue for particular conditions in many parts of the country, but I couldn't really complain about them in relation to our own family NHS experience, TBH.

[BoffinMum]

YY to the point about paying £200 to a consultant and being asked to be referred back to the NHS system, if you have work commitments/are a nervous patient. This is perfectly reasonable as you are entitled to NHS care at any stage, and happens quite a bit.

[BoffinMum]

Can I add to all this that my last experience of a private hospital was absolutely dire. Never had such terrible grumpy nursing in my life. Made the NHS look like a posh sanitorium in comparison.

[mamacasshadahairyass]

I was operated on recently after a breast cancer scare. It took roughly 4 weeks between seeing my GP and being "fixed".

I visited my GP, was referred to a consultant (in the Linda MCartney Centre).
Had first appt at centre 2 weeks later, on a Friday - mammogram & biopsy done (they have time limits on when they have to see you).
Following Friday I got results from consultant (nothing too bad, they discovered abnormal cells in a lump which is maybe a marker for breast cancer in a few years time).
Booked on for surgery the following Tuesday. Lump taken out. Home the same day.

This was all via the NHS. Quick enough for me.

[HPsauciness]

OP I disagree with those that say 'spend this on therapy' because I don't think the issue of NHS slowness at certain treatments is all in your head! Even for cancer treatment, the UK has some of the worst outcomes in Europe in terms of survival rates- primarily because of the slowness to getting diagnosed and into the system. Plus some cancer drugs are now becoming not available and I think this will tighten over time.

The advice from the insurance salesperson was excellent- keep your existing policy for you (if you are the more expensive one) and get a new one for the rest of your family which is much cheaper.

Also, if you decide to go without altogether, then you can just pay for initial consultations with who you like, then ask to be put back into the NHS system. I have done this twice with member of my family, both for ongoing quality of life type problems that the NHS was failing to solve (due to just going to the local consultant who knew very little)- we researched who was the best and had a private consultation with them (from £150-250 for a half hour) and then they put us back through the NHS for treatment. It really speeded things up getting a quick diagnosis, then onto the waiting lists for treatment. I'd also say that if on a waiting list, you can also do things to speed that up, like call to say you will take a cancellation. Our waits have been pretty short once we actually got a diagnosis.

Good luck with it all.

[Abraid2]

If we hadn't paid for my son to go privately he would have been having a tonsillectomy at the same time as his A levels, after an 8-month wait, tonsillitis having already taken its toll on his AS levels, which he took with a high temperature, aching joints and extreme pain, despite the medication, because the NHS wouldn't take the tonsils out.

We would also be waiting for him to have a biopsy for diagnosis of his coeliac disease, instead of sorting out it out within two weeks of the blood tests being done. That would be even more months eating gluten and damaging his digestive system.


We have self funded all the above and it has cost thousands of pounds in total, but probably still less than premiums.