Do you have private health insurance?

[ElizabethG81]

I'm considering getting private health insurance and am a bit overwhelmed with all the options - what to include, 6 week wait option, hospital options, etc. Do you have it? If so, which insurance company? Aviva seems to come up cheapest for me so would appreciate hearing about experiences with them.

I'd be adding my 2 children on to the policy but am confused about hospital choices as it seems not many private hospitals treat children. Is it only really London hospitals that would be available?

Having a 6 week wait (i.e. if the NHS waiting list is under 6 weeks, then you use the NHS, if not you can go private straight away) reduces the price by about £20 per month, but is this worth it? They do say that most cancer treatments would start within 6 weeks on the NHS, but as I understand it, I would still be able to claim any treatments that the NHS didn't offer on the insurance policy.

Thanks in advance.

Yes, we do with BUPA. It’s for me, DH and the DC and costs £114 a month, which didn’t seem too bad to me 🤷🏼‍♀️

Although I have the option of private cover with Vitality through work so I’ll either add them on to that and cancel BUPA or just save myself the tax on my P11d

I have through work, but it doesn't cover menopause, normal pregnancy, or diabetes and one or two other chronic conditions, so I don't know if it is actually worth it. However, one colleague had expensive dental work done (something to do with fixing an overtime, I think,) and another had a knee op. Plus one claimed back some money because she was kept in a couple of nights at an NHS hospital after an ectopic pregnancy. I still don't understand why she got this money rather than the NHS.

For overtime, read overbite.

If buying privately it's worth consulting a broker - ours negotiates an annual discount with our existing provider. It may be that they'd have offered it anyway if we'd asked but he does all of the leg work for us.

Try Benenden, they are excellent, our whole family has been covered by them for 25yrs+, had to claim many times, never had any issue. Costs much less that Bupa & Axa etc.

We have via DH's work- we are in London so it is easier but I had reconstructive surgery after DC1 at the Portland, six months in and out of the Priory with PND, plus counselling, and gynae physio at a time that suited me. I've also had quite a bit of physio over the years for running injuries. Where it has really been worth its weight in gold however is with the DC who seem to have one thing after another from slipped epipheses to a broken vertebra. Being able to go in and have these dealt with quickly at half term etc has been a godsend.

WHere it really paid off though was that both have dodgy tendons in their right wrists and the consultant was able to do brilliant letters and spend ages talking to the SENCO about what adjustments etc they needed for GCSEs/

We have it through my husbands work. I have no idea how much it would cost otherwise. It covers children too, though my daughter has a health condition which will require surgery at some point and we have been advised there’s no need to use private as children are looked after well by the NHS. Perhaps if it was less serious or elective it might be different.

My husband has used the mental health cover for sessions with a councillor, and I’ve had 2 courses of physio for 2 different issues (2 policy years). All without even seeing a GP, arranged within a week of the initial call.

I have private health care through work and wouldn't be without it. To the PP sniffing at 'only' getting seen quicker...

My son was seen within 3 days to diagnose and treat chronic cough, after he'd been in contact with someone with TB and the NHS had spent six weeks not reviewing his X ray as the specialist was on holiday.

I had my gallbladder out within 10 weeks (during covid) which would have been a 2 year wait on the NHS.

My daughter was seen by three paediatric specialists within a month to diagnose a condition which caused a lump to spontaneously appear on her head at 12 weeks old, again during covid. GP had hypothesised a few conditions including one that would lead to brain damage and possible death but told me not to worry as we'd be seen by the NHS paed team 'within a few months'

Honestly 100% worth it IMO.

It's saved so much pain and worry for us, worth the cost many many times over.

To add some balance, I've had private health insurance for 20 years, still never used it. Waste of money for me.

I have Axa through work.

I have had:

A ganglion cyst removed
2 x cartilidge trim / tidy so MRI's / diagnostics and physio
ERPC after MMC - the next day. The NHS wait was three weeks
Shed loads of physio for various sporting injuries

My daughter had investigations for knee pain inc MRI and blood tests etc and is currently undergoing physio treatment

I did have a dental element but cancelled that as it paid out 80% of the NHS rate and seeing as we can't get an NHS dentist it didn't make sense.

I have unlimited access to online GPs who have been brilliant especially during lockdown. Online consultation if a prescription is required they send it straight to the pharmacist and I can go and collect.

All my treatment has been in private hospitals, not private wings of NHS hospitals although the consultants mostly cover NHS and private.

The Wellington Hospital in London has ICU.

AXA, through work. Recently had a procedure which was done less than a month following my initial GP appointment but which has a long waiting list if not done privately (I’m not sure how long but definitely over a year from referral, so a big difference).

I have a policy through work and have used it once. Seen in a week for an internal ultrasound that was approx 12 week wait in NHS.

There was also no medical disclosure needed. As it's a corporate policy I don't think it has any pre existing exclusions.

I probably wouldn't pay for private health insurance but am very grateful to have it as a benefit. I have now added my daughters as the additional cost was minimal.

My parents don't have private healthcare but on a couple of occasions have paid out for private consultations.

Bumps is amazing. DP has had a chronic pain condition for years and been fobbed off by the NHS. Bupa got him a doctor, tests and further diagnosis within four weeks and he's now lined up for surgery which should fix it!

I've been looking at Vitality now too, does any have it and can comment on the rewards system? Does it work well or is it difficult to actually get the discounts?

I have AXA through work; I’d always been quite anti private medical insurance, but I’ve used it recently and they’ve been amazing. Diagnosed my PND, got me three meetings with a consultant psychiatrist and 12 weeks of therapy plus a prescription for sertraline- my NHS GP didn’t think there was anything wrong with me, despite me having suicidal thoughts.

I can’t speak for how it works for physical conditions, but it’s been a lifesaver for my mental health.

Can I ask please..... so if you need to see a dr, would you go see your own nhs gp first? I'm always confused. At what point do you use the private services? I understand that if you need to see a specialist you go through private.

DH and I are with BUPA and it’s been superb. I’ve paid a little more to get pre-existing conditions covered and got the full whack cancer cover as we’ve had three immediate relatives have cancer. We’ve had 16 hours of counselling with a brilliant psychologist, ultrasounds and physio for a damaged elbow, physio for a bad back etc etc. Appointments are always easy to get and it’s just a lovely experience to go private as the consultants are less hurried. One thing I really recommend is the £10 pm add on for free video or walk in private GP appointments. You can get an appointment the same day from the comfort of your home and they can refer you to a consultant the same day. Obviously if it’s something they need to feel, like a lump, it doesn’t work but BUPA would cater for that with the main package.

BUPA dental has been less impressive as they set their coverage of costs low so we are often only given part payment for basics such as X-rays.

I get it through work and it covers my kids up until they are 25 - it was well worth it when two of them needed ankle and shoulder operations, and when I needed my meniscus repairing. However it doesn't cover mental health problems or allergy diagnosis (which I need now for two of the kids).

I have BUPA private health insurance through work and have added my 2 sons as well. It's been fantastic over the year. Zero waiting, I had an issue and saw a consultant on the same day (!), they paid for counselling for one DS when he needed it. You do have to be completely up front and call them prior to seeing anyone, but so worth it.

@ElizabethG81 vitality have been fab, pre lockdown I got the coffee each week, the cinema tickets and a discount off my apple watch.

If it makes a decent enough difference to the price, go for the 6 week wait. It only applies to day/in-patient surgery and things like chemotherapy. The NHS (especially now) get very little done that quick. The main thing to get cover for is out patient consultations and diagnostic tests as the cost of those can really spiral. Most companies offer modular products now which means you can pick and choose things you want cover for like mental health, physio or cancer. If you choose an excess, the more excess you pay the cheaper your plan will be. Oh and bear in mind you usually won’t be covered for any existing conditions.

I have always had private insurance. I am an NHS consultant and love the NHS, and the doctors you see privately are all NHS consultants too. But for me it is about quicker access. I have health anxiety and need to know I can get seen quickly.

In the UK private maternity care isn't covered by any health insurance and I paid for it myself. Best decision ever. I had an elective cesarean, an epidural which lasted three days so totally pain free, and a wonderful experience with my baby in a private room...

I get it through work, pay extra through salary sacrifice so no excess to pay and as it is via work they don't exclude previous conditions..

We had it and used it twice.
Then they realised several of us were diagnosed with a genetic condition several years after taking out policy.
They did not take a payment ( it was paid by dd) and when we rang to query were told we were no longer members due a missed payment. We explained they had not taken the payment, but too bad we got nowhere.