To think it’s wrong my Dh can’t have his op done under his private health insurance because it’s completely contracted out to the NHS

[L0calSecret]

My Dh is in pain. He has private health insurance, he still can’t have his op or any appointments as everything is contracted out to the NHS due to Covid.

What is the point of his private cover and surely firms and private individuals paying premiums should be given complete refunds for services they’re not getting?

No not morally thanks. Are you donating £100s to the Covid cause?🤔

Which is basically what private cover amounts to now.

Can he get it done with NHS and then you claim back money for each night spent in a NHS hospital?

It might help if you said what type of op?

Are you donating £100s to the Covid cause?🤔

Nope. I've worked as a nurse through the pandemic though. Is that ok? Or do I need to donate £££ before challenging you?

Did you see the thread a few days with hundreds of posts about people going without life saving treatment and coping with chronic untreated pain for months because services aren't running?

You've posted that it's 'wrong' your private hospital has contracted NHS treatment in the most high traffic place on MN. You certainly have a bone to pick with your insurer, but I don't think this was a wise post.

Which is basically what private cover amounts to now.

So you haven't actually donated a penny? 😂

I suppose if they cannot provide the service you pay for then morally they owe you a refund (legally I have no idea). In a way, we are all going without services we pay for, whether that payment is by way of private insurance premiums or via taxes. It frightens me, the long term effects of the complete shutdown of almost all health services. All the people whose diagnoses are delayed and so on.

Maybe private health insurance just isn't worth it.

Well, yes morally, because essentially you think your DH should be able to jump the queue, probably in front of people who need urgent or essential treatment, because he’s able to pay more. If the services are still being contracted out to the NHS, they are obviously still needed.

Your money isn’t going to the Covid cause (as you put it), it’s going to the insurance company. Your issue is with them.

It’s a hernia he’s basically having to hold in with his hand at times.His health and fitness has plummeted as he can’t do all the things he did before and it is going to have an impact on his job soon as the pain is getting worse. He is a keyworker who also worked throughout.Paying premiums for a service he isn’t getting to prop up the NHS is basically just chucking donations at it.

We were sympathetic 6 months ago. Not now. They’re taking the piss. Fine have no intention of providing a service be be honest and say that.

I had a private, quite major op recently in a London at a hospital that is still handed over to the NHS during the week for cancer operations, but doing private work at weekends.

Call your consultant and find out if he/she can operate elsewhere. If not, speak to the insurance and find out what hospitals are open currently. There should be a way around it.

OP I'm sorry to read that your husband is in so much pain, that sounds horrible. I hope you manage to get it sorted through private or NHS soon.

SpuriouserAndSpuriouser how can you assure me? What’s your role in this outbreak? ICU numbers are very low, hospital admissions are also.

Will do J. He’s struggling so I suspect not being proactive enough. Aside from anything the hernia can lead to life threatening symptoms if not treated.

So genuine question here - and forgive my ignorance - but who is paying those hospitals to operate? Is it the NHS?

We all are currently Pootles, as we pay for the NHS

Ok thanks - I wasn't sure if the NHS had taken over paying for everything or not.

@L0calSecret , my BIL is having the exact same issue with a hernia and he is having it done in a couple of weeks privately in London and I think it will have been about 4 weeks from original consultation ( online) to surgery , he has been up for an in person appt as well . Where we live all the private providers were saying it would be a long wait because of the NHS work they are doing .

MillyMollyFarmer I work in a hospital. A lot of elective services and outpatient services were suspended during the pandemic, so there’s a huge backlog of patients with all sorts of problems. Some of them may have been getting worse over the last few months so may need more involved treatment than what they would have had if there hadn’t been a pandemic. Where I am there’s still a steady trickle of Covid patients, and quite a lot of patients who had Covid and have ongoing problems related to that. Obviously I can only speak from my own experience but although case numbers are down, it’s still really busy.

Our private healthcare company, AXA, have recently written to us to inform us they are now available for private consultations and treatments again.

Government/NHS have been paying private hospitals to keep capacity empty ready for COVID cases. So private insurers like BUPA who own hospitals should have the money to refund premiums.

Otherwise they're double-dipping - getting paid by individuals for possible treatment needs they can't meet, and by the government/NHS to keep beds empty.

Did you see the thread a few days with hundreds of posts about people going without life saving treatment and coping with chronic untreated pain for months because services aren't running

In fairness, many or most people having private procedures are in a lot of pain, too. The difference is usually they have to wait much less time to get their pain sorted out, but now they can't. So there should be a refund.

I think you just need to try other private hospital - private hospitals are getting back to normal now (although some are still contracted out). Shouldn't be an issue for every one of them.

Its scandalous that elective surgery has not resumed and hospitals are half full. One section of the community is being totally sacrificed for covid