AIBU of is BUPA Insurance a waste?

[bloodynewusernameagain]

I'm 39, currently pregnant. Have BUPA Health insurance

I took out insurance via BUPA and disclosed a previous UTI and the policy was confirmed stating they won't cover anything(!) in my abdomen. Which for a starter I thought was pretty shit if all I had was a UTI, don't 50% of women have one at some point in their lives?!

So I thought fuck it I'll cancel, then Covid hit and I thought I'll wait 'til the pandemic ends and cancel - not that I could really see any benefit to the cover re. Covid but just in case of cancer, NHS being under stress re. Covid etc etc. Then at the beginning of this year I became pregnant and thought well finally I might find some benefit to having private insurance. There doesn't seem to be anything at all - no option of getting anything (even paying a top up/supplementary/addition bit) birth wise, post-natal physical issues, neo-natal, anything.

Am I completely missing the point of private health coverage? It is about £70 per month and all I can think that it covers is cancer?

I keep uhhming and ahhing over whether to cancel. Please help me decide!

YABU - Keep the coverage you'd be a fool to lose the 2 years cover built upnow
YANBU - Waste of money/private health insurance is a rip off

Thank you!

IME Bupa are not good and also making the sector a bit shitter for everyone (I’m a bit out of touch now though as have a different job)- they are eroding some of the standards people expect from private health insurance (IMO!). Insurance is good for minor/moderate health complaints that the NHS will put off for as long as possible. A few years ago cancer treatment would be quicker on the NHS but that might not be the case now.

Doesn't it depend on the level of cover you have? We have ours through my husbands employment. It's pretty comprehensive. In the last year, I have claimed due to a skin problem and back problems whilst pregnant (I had physio for my back) We also claimed when our baby was experiencing vomiting (worried it was reflux) So far we have had 5 consultants appointments, skin testing and blood testing. Our lovely consultant diagnosed a CMPA and our baby is so much better now! We would have been lost on the NHS waiting list for ages if we didn't have it.

Yes. I have it as a work benefit for at least 5 years and never been able to use it - pregnancy and exclusions . But the NHS is soo crap at the moment I would be worri d about not having it. I’ve paid for private paediatric for my DC a couple of times. If I were paying out of my own packet I would be looking for other providers - Bupa seem
particularly expensive or maybe self insure

I have just been discharged from a private hospital today after private ankle surgery yesterday. I would still be waiting to see a Consultant on NHS. I fell last year and shredded my ligaments. All the post op physio would be covered too. I've paid in £2700 over 2 years (£110 a month for family of 5), took it out at beginning of Covid after have a sense that the NHS would be decimated. My op would have been £6k+ and then there's the cost of the consultant spots, MRI, physio etc.

I get private GP so have used that too for DD when I couldn't get her in with our normal GP, but cost of meds privately is high. Her antibiotics were £19, and I'm having to pay £58 for 2 weeks blood thinning injections and a week's painkillers.

If my premiums go up loads in October I'll cancel, most of my health issues wouldn't be covered as pre existing, was just 'luck' it was an accident

We got BUPA mainly in case we need cancer treatment. In fact DH did, with chemo assigned at one of the country’s leading NHS cancer centres. But they said there would be a delay because of backlog and he could not afford that. We said fine, we have BUPA which will authorise this through your private clinic They called back the next day with a place the following week. BUPA paid £100/session cash back for the chemo.

BTW the NHS care was exemplary. BUPA has gotten rather expensive. But as hypocritical as I feel keeping it, it may have saved the life of DH and with cancer and surgical backlogs now worse we may need it in the future. So it is worth it for us. But we are older than you

It was also cumbersome and time consuming to use since you can't self refer to a specialist in this country but first have to go through your GP and so on

One benefit of the pandemic is that you don't need to go via GP anymore. Just call up BUPA and self refer. It's marvellous.

I had a surgical repair of a prolapse, caused from childbirth, paid for by medical insurance. DS also had his undescended testicle corrected at 9 months via medical insurance, I've had a number of scans and investigations covered as well, I wouldn't be without it personally. Although it's primarily paid for by my work with a small top up contribution from me.

I have had good use of health insurance over the years. My father in particular had two knee operations that he would have waited at least a year for. it made a big difference to his life quality. On the limitations and exclusions I think you do need to be aware of these. In particular mental health is excluded from most general policies as is pregnancy and pre-existing conditions. It is possible to find policies which will provide cover for these elements but they are very expensive.

So what is the best private healthcare company in the UK? I might have to take the hit and pay for it too, after the last few NHS shambles.

I thought it was a waste of money and was only worth getting if I got cancer. 3-4 weeks later after I decided not to take it through work I was diagnosed with pre-cancer and going through actual cancer diagnosis at the moment, so I really wish I had taken it!

We've always had private insurance for the whole family through work and have used it quite a lot over the years eg for kidney stones, broken bone, non-cosmetic plastic surgery, ligament tear, physio, gynaecologist, yearly health check. Wouldn't want to be without it and always make sure it's included in our work benefits. Would I pay for it out of my own pocket if it wasn't? Probably

My current bugbear is that my policy through my employer covers nothing menopause related or even vaguely gynaecological despite us being a very female skewed industry. But if I wake up tomorrow and decide I’m a man stuck in a woman’s body I can have a consultation with a gender specialist in five working days. 🤔

I've been looking for a therapist for my daughter and so many state on the BUPA search list that they are no longer accepting BUPA referrals as they don't pay their fees!

I always think the best idea is to put away the money into an account that you don’t touch.
Then if you do need medical help you hopefully have a balance to pay to go private. If you don’t you will have a nice healthy balance in 30 years.

Sounds like your special condition is too broad. Raise a complaint and it'll be looked at. Double check the cover for pregnancy and birth.

Most private medical insurance is for acute conditions, so they won't cover checks unless you actually have symptoms.

I have Bupa through work but pre-existing conditions are covered as it's a work policy.

When I was freelancing I had a personal policy with Vitality. They wouldn't cover skin conditions as I'd had an actinic keratosis; fair enough, I had it sorted out on the NHS anyway. I had no claims during either of the first two years.

But when it came to renewal, they increased the price even though I had platinum status (they have a system where you do "healthy" things and get points and then your premium is supposed to be cheaper) and after two years they still wouldn't cover skin lesions. I thought that was ridiculous and cancelled (and a bit later was back in paid work anyway so availed myself of the work cover). In my view a two year exclusion for pre-existing conditions is enough!

t was also cumbersome and time consuming to use since you can't self refer to a specialist in this country but first have to go through your GP and so on

yes this is the worst aspect. What people really need is access to a GP (which a lot of of private policies do now offer, even if only by video but that is probably only since covid). While the waiting lists for NHS consultants are long, you will get seen eventually. The issue is getting the referral in the first place.

It is worth it if you get it through work but now we are retired we would pay for stuff like hip or knee replacements out of savings as that sort of thing has a very long wait.

It's standard that pregnancy is not covered by private health insurance. This should be clear from the policy terms. Annoying but I guess if it was covered, the insurance would either be a lot more expensive for everyone OR just for women of childbearing age (not sure if that would be allowed). From what I've read though you are safer giving birth in a large NHS hospital in case anything goes wrong. I also don't think you necessarily get good breastfeeding support in a private hospital (although perhaps not in the NHS either) based on an acquaintance's experience.

plenty of pregnancies are accidents 😛

I know the NHS is struggling but I had cancer and they were amazing. I had a scan the day after they suspected cancer, I met the consultant 2 days later and had surgery within a couple of weeks. I had a very thorough follow up programme and also received counselling on the NHS to help me deal with the stress. I just don't believe I could have got better treatment with BUPA.

I cancelled mine this year. The premium went up to 4.5k for the whole family and I've only used it once for DD when she was younger for an ear operation. It's money I can spend more effectively elsewhere.

We have AXA through work (I added the family at my cost) and love it. I'd check if the lower abdomen exclusion is still in place - usually it's just for the first 2 years.

I've had loads of physio, xrays, an MRI and still having treatment for a frozen shoulder. OH had cancer treatment (minor) and physio. DD has had 2x surgeries and MH therapy galore. Plus online GP appointments, dental and optical cover and loads more.

Yes, it's expensive, but for the lack of wait times and reduced worry, it's invaluable to us.

As with all healthcare insurance providers, there are good policies and there are bad policies.

I don't think it's worth paying personally as you'll have to disclose prior history and your premiums for a decent policy will be ridiculous. However... it's absolutely worth getting it through work, as the cost is based on a general population of workers, and not your specific individual problems. Some stuff will still always be excluded, but far less. A group policy is always much better value than a private one!

Almost worth having a part-time job just to access medical insurance... As I type it, that sounds incredibly American. But I wouldn't be without private healthcare in the UK.

Against your politics? I'd say private healthcare is perfectly aligned with champagne socialism...

I’m with Bupa and have found them good but my policy is ‘medical history disregarded’ so I don’t have any issues with exclusions. Pregnancy is still excluded though which is standard. Given the recent NHS scandals I am considering paying for private maternity care separately.