To get private health insurance?

[MoiraRoseIsMyQueen]

I do have mild health anxiety, so I’m not sure if this is skewing my view! But is private health insurance worth it? It would be for me, DH, and DS(4). We could afford it - we’ve finished paying for our kitchen so could replace that with £100ish a month for health insurance. I’m concerned that it’s going to take a very long time for the NHS to recover from Covid, and also I feel like it’s worth the money to not have to worry about waiting lists etc.

I’m in my 30s and pay £47 a month with BUPA for me and my young daughter. Full cover, apart from I’ve limited the hospital choice I have to make it cheaper, but my daughter has full choice. This includes full cancer cover. I wouldn’t be without it, it’s reassuring to have it there, and I think it’s cheap. I may have put higher excess on my policy to bring it down from around £90-100.

I have private cover through work and it was invaluable in getting my advanced cancer diagnosis and the on going treatment. My costs are upwards of £50k now inc 3 surgeries.

I get scans and results within days and my consultants email/text me directly. I get private rooms during hospital stays and the whole shit storms feels very slightly better.

When my insurance ends if I can I will continue to pay directly. It is invaluable.

@FarTooSkinny

Depends on your priorities and how likely you think you are going to use it. Private Insurance is good for chronic but non life threatening illnesses - for example sport injuries that require surgery or therapy. You can spend longer with the specialists and schedule appointments (and surgery) for when it suits you. And it means little or no waiting lists

If you get run over by a bus the NHS will still be there to glue you back together

Actually, it rarely covers chronic illnesses.

@SpearmintPeppermint thank you for the slightly patronising message No I don’t visit the doctors or take meds for my anxiety, it is not that severe. Were it more serious, however, I would have every right to visit the Dr as often as I needed to get treated, as I would with any other health issue.

@Pollaidh thank you that’s really helpful! The pricing seems to cover a wide range - AXA and other are more like £250+ per month, but both BUPA and Vitality (maxed out with all cover) are around £110 a month. I’m wondering if they hook you in with a cheap price, then whack it up the following year.

@miljea yes, the best doctor of your choice. NHS consultant oncologist, new consultant, never seen the kind of cancer before offered palliative care. Private consultant, researched him, one of only 6 experts in the world on this cancer. Travelled to see him as couldn’t get referred on his NHS list. Offered range of treatments not suggested elsewhere. Surgeon - Treatment wasn’t available for this cancer NHS but surgeon in another part of the country was pioneering it and would do it privately. Result- success. So yes, I want to choose my doctors and see them anywhere in the country to get the best outcomes. I’m sorry but I’m not prepared to see a registrar or different team member when I’ve chosen what doctor I want to see based on recommendation and expertise.

Also why suggest that your local BUPA hospital won’t fly you to John hoskins. That makes the assumption that you just go with the local hospital. Actually, privately you go where the best doctors with the newest equipment are. In our case it was the Marsden and The Christie privately. And infact it was a doctor at Memorial Sloan Kettering, the top man in the world for this cancer who was a mate of our consultant who suggested a treatment not licensed for a particular use on the NHS which our insurance company, based on a report from him funded without question. I’m sorry, but on the NHS this simply wasn’t good enough.

@Miljea well yes actually I found out afterwards from another endocrine guy at the hospital... That the consultant is viewed as the top guy in the area, and the endocrine team all agreed that if they were to have their thyroids out they would have him do it over against anyone else... I was just quite impressed having found that out, that he'd been taking time to personally call me rather than leave it to one of the Drs under him.
The best thing about private healthcare IMO is the fact that when you do have an appointment or consultation, you don't feel rushed out of the door - they are being paid more and therefore have more time to listen to you and talk to you, and you receive better quality of care.
Also if you have the monetary ability to take up private healthcare why not? The NHS is struggling as we all know so why not take a tiny bit of pressure off them?

I would gently suggest you DO get some help for your anxiety.

However I meant that perhaps you might be wanting lots of other appointments that you don’t need.

Roselilly36 We have Benenden too, one time we wanted to use it for DS, and they didn’t cover Maxillofacial, had heard they made it difficult to claim for anything so reassuring to know you have used successfully, am too anxious to cancel it now as we are getting to an age where we might need it.

@FarTooSkinny

Depends on your priorities and how likely you think you are going to use it. Private Insurance is good for chronic but non life threatening illnesses - for example sport injuries that require surgery or therapy. You can spend longer with the specialists and schedule appointments (and surgery) for when it suits you. And it means little or no waiting lists

If you get run over by a bus the NHS will still be there to glue you back together

We've found that it's not that great for chronic illness, unfortunately.

We have top level cover (through work).. it's been great for consultants, investigations and diagnosis, but had a blanket 6 month cut off for cover after.

I think most policies don't cover chronic (long term, ongoing) illnesses.

@user15369525797567

I don't mean for speed of treatment, I mean for being treated like a human being. That's the difference between private and NHS. Private healthcare treats everyone as human beings, NHS treats you worse than cattle and expects you to be grateful.

So private healthcare means you can survive the experience without being traumatised and/or left feeling dehumanised and disposable.

I'm really sorry to hear this, @user15369525797567 .

I can quite imagine the horrific emotional outcomes of not being properly cared for at such a traumatic time.

Dehumanising. So sorry 🥰🥰🥰

[quote Sophoa]@miljea yes, the best doctor of your choice. NHS consultant oncologist, new consultant, never seen the kind of cancer before offered palliative care. Private consultant, researched him, one of only 6 experts in the world on this cancer. Travelled to see him as couldn’t get referred on his NHS list. Offered range of treatments not suggested elsewhere. Surgeon - Treatment wasn’t available for this cancer NHS but surgeon in another part of the country was pioneering it and would do it privately. Result- success. So yes, I want to choose my doctors and see them anywhere in the country to get the best outcomes. I’m sorry but I’m not prepared to see a registrar or different team member when I’ve chosen what doctor I want to see based on recommendation and expertise.

Also why suggest that your local BUPA hospital won’t fly you to John hoskins. That makes the assumption that you just go with the local hospital. Actually, privately you go where the best doctors with the newest equipment are. In our case it was the Marsden and The Christie privately. And infact it was a doctor at Memorial Sloan Kettering, the top man in the world for this cancer who was a mate of our consultant who suggested a treatment not licensed for a particular use on the NHS which our insurance company, based on a report from him funded without question. I’m sorry, but on the NHS this simply wasn’t good enough.[/quote]
Sure.

It's important that enough punters think this.

@Miljea what are you suggesting I’m being led by? He had a cancer that has only been in about 300 cases ever. I imagine that even if you’re a doctor you won’t have come across it. Every single word I have written is 100% true. I am sorry but the care and treatment my partner received simply would not have been matched by the NHS. Not possible. I’m very happy to share the details with you offline if you insist on being so condescending about something you clearly don’t know about.

I think some of you would be deeply distressed upon discovering how your caring, concerned, getting-to-know-you-as-a-person private consultant walks out from you with a 🙄, a FFS! 'Neurotic!' aside.

Seriously.

This generalisation obviously doesn't and can't apply to all; but over the decades, I've been quite shocked at the contempt some hold their private patients in. And the CTscans requested by these doctors that do not pass IRMER, the base standard of justification for the application of radiation that NHS patients are afforded.

[quote Sophoa]@miljea yes, the best doctor of your choice. NHS consultant oncologist, new consultant, never seen the kind of cancer before offered palliative care. Private consultant, researched him, one of only 6 experts in the world on this cancer. Travelled to see him as couldn’t get referred on his NHS list. Offered range of treatments not suggested elsewhere. Surgeon - Treatment wasn’t available for this cancer NHS but surgeon in another part of the country was pioneering it and would do it privately. Result- success. So yes, I want to choose my doctors and see them anywhere in the country to get the best outcomes. I’m sorry but I’m not prepared to see a registrar or different team member when I’ve chosen what doctor I want to see based on recommendation and expertise.

Also why suggest that your local BUPA hospital won’t fly you to John hoskins. That makes the assumption that you just go with the local hospital. Actually, privately you go where the best doctors with the newest equipment are. In our case it was the Marsden and The Christie privately. And infact it was a doctor at Memorial Sloan Kettering, the top man in the world for this cancer who was a mate of our consultant who suggested a treatment not licensed for a particular use on the NHS which our insurance company, based on a report from him funded without question. I’m sorry, but on the NHS this simply wasn’t good enough.[/quote]

'Researched him, travelled'.

I'm genuinely pleased that this worked for you. But the vast majority of health care plans don't allow you to decide upon the 1 of 6 national specialists in a rare cancer , in the land. They just don't.

Private plans are not all equal. Most are a waste of cash for most people.

Definitely get it if you can afford it. It’s not just about speed but about the way you are treated. I couldn’t go back to an NHS-style system.

@Miljea

I think some of you would be deeply distressed upon discovering how your caring, concerned, getting-to-know-you-as-a-person private consultant walks out from you with a 🙄, a FFS! 'Neurotic!' aside.

Seriously.

This generalisation obviously doesn't and can't apply to all; but over the decades, I've been quite shocked at the contempt some hold their private patients in. And the CTscans requested by these doctors that do not pass IRMER, the base standard of justification for the application of radiation that NHS patients are afforded.

What a strange post.

@Miljea example is clearly about a serious illness that was able to to treated through a private network that just can't exit in the NHS. I don't know why you're doubting it, it seems very plausible me.

I meant @Sophoa 's example, apologies.

Einstein - if you find my post 'strange' (you've obviously been on MN a while... 😂 Chuck in 'vile' and you're inner sanctum!); you sort of demonstrate what I mean.

You don't realise that you, via your insurance, are being at best 'mislead'; at worst 'exploited', sometimes. Not always. But -sometimes.

Because the oversight isn't there.

Mine has been absolutely pants

To the point that recent covered procedures which were covered I ended up using nhs

Shouldn’t be like that

I’d much rather free up the nhs but vitality do their best to make it as difficult as possible to use any benefit

Hi there! I came across this thread as I’m looking for private insurance advice for women’s health care. If you don’t mind me asking, which insurance do you have? I have PCOS and want some testing done so I am thinking of getting insurance as the NHS doesn’t do anything for me. Please let me know! Thank you!!

I have AXA healthcare and they’ve been brilliant.
I’ve had lots of different procedures and treatments and never had to wait more than two weeks to get anything done. I now just email my consultant if I have a concern and get seen straight away. I have to have it authorised by AXA before I actually have the appointment.

@NeedToGetOuttaHere

I have AXA healthcare and they’ve been brilliant. I’ve had lots of different procedures and treatments and never had to wait more than two weeks to get anything done. I now just email my consultant if I have a concern and get seen straight away. I have to have it authorised by AXA before I actually have the appointment.

Thank you!! Do you know if an annual gynecology exam is covered under the insurance?

I just got a quote and another person on the forum also recommended it! I’m looking further into it so hopefully will sort something soon!

@MoiraRoseIsMyQueen

Do it if you can afford it.

I m alive thanks to my private insurance as the GP didnt believe when i told her i felt 2 lumps above my breast so didnt refer me to a mammogram. She reluctantly gave a referal for a private one.

Turned out I was stage 1 grade 3 with a carcinoma of the right breast.

DO IT