Am I being AIBU to ask how many of you have looked into medical insurance and hospital plans? And are you 100% you can afford it?

[MaggieLightBlue]

Only asking as we have more than one, non self-inflicted condition in our family unit and I from what I have researched, this may be a hindrance to us getting Medicare or getting affordable Medicare, when the NHS finally collapses.

Concerned citizen

And if it did, companies rejecting people with a medical condition would have to become a thing of the past.

It's not that they would necessarily reject people....just that premiums for those with pre-existing conditions would be astronomical.

It is the way insurance works.

$140 per family member a month, DH'a company pays the rest.

A doctors visit is $25 and our deductible is $5000 a year

I spoke to a neighbour last week who knew the results of her blood test hadn't been received by her GP but she was going to her booked appointment anyway 'as it's difficult to get them'. I asked her why she hadn't cancelled and rebooked & she had no reason other than that.

Not looked for many years but I think it is massively expensive. Only ever had it when my job or DH's job included it as part of package.

Think you're worrying unduly. Totally agree with arethereanyleftatall

Private health insurance is expensive.

We are 'lucky' in that our dc were added at birth each time, and their disabilities are developmental, (and so became apparent at a later stage) therefore were not excluded from birth.

We are, however, now tied to one insurance company, as otherwise their conditions (and anything deemed to be related) would be excluded on a new policy. But then H and I can muster up a few things between us over the last 20ish years which would mean a transfer to a different company would leave us with gaps in cover due to exclusions, so we are stuck with the one company anyway.

The scaremongering about its collapse has been going on for at least 10 years when tony blair famously stated that we had 24 hours to save the NHS

^ this.

more than one, non self-inflicted condition in our family unit

Does it matter if conditions are self-inflicted or not or are you saying that you think some conditions are more worthy of care than others?

I'd be stuffed. I was refused life assurance because of MH problems in my youth and a hysterectomy.

The NHS isn't going to collapse any government that allowed it to wouldn't be be voted in as government for a generation

We are going to have to pay more and we may have to start paying a separate insurance so it won't be the NHS as we know it but it absolutely has to change

It won't go to an American type service they have a completely different attitude towards healthcare to what we do here in the U.K.

Maybe we should look to France or Germany and accept we all need to pay more

I'm afraid we have a health secretary who has previously published a paper stating that the NHS should be privatised. He is at war with the NHS and is trying to dismantle it one step at a time. If you are not worried you are seriously deluded. Not scaremongering, it's happening before our very eyes and it's costing us more taxpayers money not less. Agreed that the NHS needs major reorganisation but we ain't getting that from a TM government. I'll be voting to halt privatisation when I go to the polls.

I also don't see how this is scaremongering. It's something my colleagues and I (NHS) discuss routinely and have done in almost every NHS job I have ever had. I don't think the NHS will completely collapse (I hope anyway) but I think it is sensible to think what I would do if that did happen. Hope for the best, plan for the worst - isn't that one of the principles of insurance?

To answer the OP. Yes we have looked into it. Can't currently afford it so have to hope the NHS doesn't collapse!

I don't see how op is creating panic or hysteria. It's one post in MN. How silly to claim that! In fact, it is hysterical in itself to claim that.

The NHS is already being privatised. Parts have been sold off already. The next government will be able to do exactly as they please with it.

Who knows what will happen to those who can't afford health insurance. Those JAMs can't stretch their budget any more.

The American system is most definitely nothing to emulate.

Oh well. What can we do?

I have said this on previous threads.

There needs to be a non partisan discussion about the NHS. Party politics left at the door.

Both parties have made big mistakes with the NHS. To say it is one sided is naive.

Won't happen though because people point score whenever they can.

I didn't say I wasn't concerned I am because of my work

I said a government won't allow it to collapse how it's run is certainly going to change and we are at some point I believe going to be paying some form of insurance

I agree Piglet

Think we all have to accept that we can't continue to operate the original NHS model with today's treatments and demographics. We need a proper debate about alternatives without hysterical wailing about how we don't want a us style system. You know what in the majority of developed countries there is a great mix of state and private health care, by increasing the availability and attractiveness of private health cover provided by employees we would free up more services for those without cover

How do those who rubbish the possibility of needing health insurance (and it's extortionate price if you have a pre-existing condition) feel about Virgin Care running hospitals given that they certainly don't do it out of the goodness of their hearts? They are far from a 'not for profit' organisation

They are doing it because they can do it more efficiently and more cost effectively than was previously the case.
This is nothing to do with scraping the NHS and needing insurance. It is a way of reducing costs, maybe not the best way but it is not privatisation in the way people generally mean i.e. Like the US.

The NHS is already being privatised. Parts have been sold off already. The next government will be able to do exactly as they please with it

Not true what you are referring to is the NHS paying third parties to perform services. That is not privatisation or selling off the NHS.

I could not afford it. I already don't pick up my prescriptions because I can't afford them.

And why is that Olive? Is it because they can send expensive problems back to the NHS to sort out? There shouldn't be a profit to be made in Healthcare.

It's worth pointing out there are multiple models of health insurance... and yes, they are all much more expensive.
Is the NHS in crisis? yes. In our city 2 GP surgeries have closed in the past year. With no replacement.
The really bad news is that almost no healthcare provision exists in the uk that looks after you in an emergency. So if you're really ill you still face 22 hours on an a&e trolley & an Nhs stay (if you eventually get a bed). We don't have capacity for emergency/acute care in the private sector, regardless of pre-existing conditions.
So if gp surgeries continue to close, A&E struggles, there is minimal (if any) acute private provision - in the short to medium term we'll all be in a mess.
Who knows if any political party has the will or ability to turn all that round? :(

The Belgian model works well, co-pay with support for those on low incomes.

This is not entirely accurate "The really bad news is that almost no healthcare provision exists in the uk that looks after you in an emergency. So if you're really ill you still face 22 hours on an a&e trolley & an Nhs stay (if you eventually get a bed)."

Both times I have been to A&E with a child we were seen within an hour and that was not that long ago. They triage it. I was really impressed with the care. One was a head injury (daughter) (you have to treat those quickly because of brain damage) and other was my son who had a deep cut. This was at 10pm at night and it was stitched up quickly there and then. I don't think I was being given any special priority because I pay shed loads of tax unless I've some kind of hidden NHS priority card for being a big payer of tax !

The Tories and Labour want to retain the NHS as do I. I think we could pare it down to more essentials however so it costs a bit less. I don't favour moving to a French system as our current system costs less and most people in the Conservatives and Labout know that that is so.

I've got friends in the US. They don't have medical insurance. They have said that they don't have it because it's an expensive cost that they don't use. They have needed a Dr visit once and they were given a bill because of having no insurance. They were given 12 months to pay this bill which was less than a years medical insurance and said this is what most people they know do. The only ones who really have it are those whose employers offer it.

Agree with Piglet and others who say that a proper discussion without point scoring has to be had.

I don't agree with the "those that can afford it pay" attitude. That won't affect the very rich - and most of them already pay except in an emergency when they have no option.

This will hit the same people who are already struggling but working.

No one's vote should be won through lies

Hahahahahahahhahahahahahahahaha!
Brexit bus?!