If you have private healthcare would you recommend it?

[sparklins]

I'll preface this by saying I am not looking to be bashed for this just hoping to get advice.
Unfortunately I've had some nasty NHS experiences in the past and whilst they are very good in an urgent life or death situations, on a day to day of getting referrals and/or exams and tests to actually get to the bottom of something is a nightmare and my relatives have paid the price with their health.

I've been reviewing our finances and worked out we could potentially afford to pay for a private policy, I like the idea of some who offer yearly health MOTs and similar.
We've had a quote from Vitality who were the first to pop up however the reviews seem less than great so I am back to the drawing board for now.

Does anyone on here have private health insurance and are you happy with it?
And if you are happy with it would you mind recommending the company you are with?

You could try Benenden but you need to be with them 6 months before you access it.

I have vitality through work and had a problem looked at promptly. Husband has Axa, again impressive speed, went from reporting abdominal pains to having no gall bladder in a month (and could have been quicker)

@whumpthereitis I thought there's no private a&e here?

Nope. And my husband had one of those full body scans/checkups and died 18 months later with cardiovascular disease it never picked up!

I should say I don't have it anymore.

This is really interesting, I'm considering either Axa or Vitality insurance as our local GP and NHS services are just swamped - luckily I haven't had to use them for a while but it's worrying hearing about the lack of appointments 

I'm being quoted about the same by each company - are the incentives the main selling point for Vitality? I know @sorrynotathome found them really good?

When you say a work benefit offer do you mean a company policy through work? Here in Ireland there are often additional benefits to company schemes including the waiving of all waiting periods and pre-existing condition exclusions. I don't know if it's the same in UK but it would be worth checking your companies policy to see if this is included in their scheme.

I can’t comment on Axa but I love the incentives from my work Vitality policy. Providing I hit the required activity levels each week (not too onerous, you need to earn 40 points across the week but can only earn a max of 8 points per day) I currently get:

Apple Watch paid for (worth £9.99 per month, I had to pay £39 of my own money to get it)
Amazon Prime (worth £8.99 per month)
Rakuten movie code (depends on movie, but worth about £3 and you get 1 every fortnight)
Cinema tickets (worth about £10, you get 1 every 2 weeks)
Cafe Nero free drink (worth about £4.25 each time, you get 1 every week)
Cashback at Waitrose (% depends on how many points you’ve earned and is only payable on “healthy” purchases)
12 month subscription to the Headspace App (worth £49.99 per year)

@CaveMum sorry, I've just seen your message, thank you for the info!

That's really useful, thanks - this may be a dim question, but how do they know you've hit your 40 points?! I have an iPhone and an (old!) Fitbit, do they pull the info from those?

There's a lovely gym near us which is v expensive, more affordable with their discount, but probably not the best option for us yet as the DCs are still their 'creche' age rather than 'doing stuff' age - maybe in a few months when they turn 8 and can do the actual gym training/ classes offered!

There are a few. In London, and on certain military bases (granted, the latter are restricted).

@MsMargoLeadbetter yes you have to sync a tracking device of some kind to your Vitality account and download the Vitality app onto your phone. It then logs your activity each day and awards you points. They partner with a few different manufacturers including FitBit. I used to use a FitBit then upgraded to an Apple Watch which I got through Vitality!

Basic points are:

7,500-9,999 steps = 3 pts
10,000-12,499 = 5 pts
12,500+ steps = 8 pts

Or you can get 5pts for 30 mins moderate exercise (a brisk walk usually does it) or 8pts for 30 mins higher intensity exercise (a run or gym session). It’s all about getting your heart rate up for those points.

You can only earn a max of 8pts a day.

I just started a policy with aviva and got one child free, other one only £7 a month but it is quite basic as I chose the option of it being only if 6 weeks wait with NHS and no outpatients (also have benenden)

DP would. He got a surgery that has massively improved his chronic illness to the point it's almost gone.

The surgery is point blank no available at any NHS trust. He went from referral to surgery within 1 month private.