To ask if you have private health insurance?

[CherryValley5]

Do you have it? Would you get it?

Having just received DD’s (eye watering) PHI renewal it struck me that 10 years ago it would not have even entered my mind to insure a teenager, nowadays it would feel like borderline neglect if I cancelled her policy and instead made her sit on endless NHS waiting lists. I am insured too through work and would never take another job that didn’t offer it. Just sitting here in disbelief that something I would’ve called a luxury not too long ago now feels like an essential for quality of life. It’s so depressing!

I’ve got it through work. I never thought I’d get private health insurance but since we’ve had it I’ve been able to see a specialist 18 months earlier than the NHS waiting time (my GP told me not to feel guilty and to make the most of it), DH has had an op that he would have to wait two years for, and one child has been able to have private psychiatric treatment that has been worth every penny of premiums.

I have Bupa through work and it covers DH and the kids too. Access to Gp or prescribing pharmacist within 10 minutes. Physio next day, DH had an operation in a private hospital and was eating avocado and toast for breakfast the following day. Love it.

This will be us in a year or so, meanwhile I am covered under my husband's company health insurance and intend to get a couple of things done before the year is up, as both procedures have around a 2 year wait currently on the NHS, as the years fly by I've realised more and more how precious good health is, meanwhile trying to keep myself in as much good shape as possible, it scares me the thought of navigating a diagnosis and care with the NHS for the foreseeable, terrible I know.

I've not used my BUPA yet, is it easy to get access to GP or a pharmacist online? I need a drug I am on to be changed back to the original one (the NHS gave me a cheaper version with side effects and its a 6 week wait to get an appt) (sorry to railroad thread)

Have had it for my kids since the day they were born, it was pretty much the first thing we did and I’m not even joking. I’ve always had it since childhood and wouldn’t not have it. I don’t use the NHS unless I really have no choice

Always had it during my working life as part of my package for the whole family and it was a godsend. However the cost post retirement is in excess of £20k p.a for DH and I and I refuse to pay that amount. In the event we need anything doing and don’t want to wait will fund from savings.

Their virtual GP service is very easy to use - if you go on the app there are often appointments available within the hour. You may struggle a bit re: the medication query though as they don’t have any access to your NHS GP records.

No. Just like many other people.

Yes all of us is insured haven't used it yet thank god just gives me peace of mind

@Ditsycamper

I think it depends whereabouts in the UK you are.

Where we are, things aren't too bad for cancer care. My husband had a prostate cancer scare and everything was done so quickly.

We would also consider going abroad for certain treatments like hip replacements if we needed them. I haven't really looked in to it, as I haven't had to fortunately, but I think that some countries are beginning to cater especially for British customers who can't afford private treament in the UK. And I believe that the standards are just as good and perhaps better as long as you choose carefully.

Yes I do through work. It’s distasteful to say it’s ‘borderline neglectful’ to not have it given so many have no choice.

We do through my husband’s work but we never use it

I pay privately for health care. After the few horror stories I've heard about long waiting lists for treatment on the NHS, I've decided to err on the side of caution for DH, me and DD. It's about £130 a month for all 3 of us.

No. I fully accept that if my time is up I will bow out gracefully (hopefully with some pain relief from the nhs).

What about non life threatening conditions? Pain especially can have a massive effect on your quality of life, ability to hold down a job, socialise etc. Is saving a bit of money on insurance worth having to potentially wait years on a new hip for example?

It is not borderline neglectful to not include children on PHI. I feel that the NHS is more responsive when it comes to treating children, than treating adults except for mental health where everyone is screwed.

It is expensive but I recently put the whole family on my company's policy because of the parlous state of the NHS.

Check the terms of the policy. Ideally it would be Medical History Disregarded (covers pre-existing conditions) rather than moratorium underwriting (you are covered for pre-existing conditions only if you were free from medication or treatment for two continuous years after the start of the policy).

What are you even talking about?

Read the OP.

Would you call my DD (then 16/17) having to deteriorate in pain for 2 years on an NHS waiting list for major surgery responsive?

I have Benenden which covers pre-existing conditions and a private policy through DH work. Wouldn’t be without it. Although I still pay for private prescriptions because the NHS doesn’t fund the treatment I need and neither policy pays for ongoing prescriptions for chronic conditions.

Sorry for your dd's experience. I can understand your anger and frustration. My dd's experience was very different.

I still don't think the correct word is 'borderline neglectful' when many people do not have a choice in the matter.

We used to have Benenden before getting ‘proper’ insurance - they were fantastic and so easy to deal with.

Of course they have limitations in what they can cover but for the price it is an amazing service and a very useful backup to the NHS.

I believe it has gotten so popular now though that you have to wait 2 years in order to be able to claim for any procedures! Used to be 6 months when we joined in 2018, definitely a sign of the times..

Ýes, via my husband's job, but it's not that useful for us as we'd have to travel to the other side of the country to use their listed consultants/hospitals. Fine if you live in or near a major city, but they don't have proper or adequate coverage imo. We certainly wouldn't pay for it while living here.

My whole family has it. I wouldn’t be without it.

I'm a PMI sceptic. Fair enough if you have it as a work benefit you may as well rinse it. But I think PMI would be poor value for money in my circumstances. I have Bipolar Disorder - SMI is nearly always flat out excluded and I imagine would jack up the premium too. As much use as a chocolate fireguard if you find yourself detained in one of His Majesty's finest NHS acute psychiatric wards.

Surprised to see a lot here have their kids covered too. I assumed children's care was still one of the more responsive and better performing parts of the health service (especially for emergencies/serious illness).

I suppose it depends on one's attitude to health and tolerance for risk. I am not a heavy user of the NHS - I see a psychiatrist infrequently and get quarterly physical health monitoring for lithium. That's it.I haven't been to the GP in a decade and try to self manage as much as possible. My threshold for accessing healthcare is high and I am willing to 'play the odds' to some extent as an otherwise healthy adult in my early 30s. Honestly I would prefer spending my disposable income on enjoying my life now and saving the rest. If I were earning a high income and had dependants I would likely prioritise a critical illness and/or income protection policy before spending on PMI.

Hearing that some consultants are charging top up fees to BUPA patients because they consider the reimbursement rates inadequate is hardly as selling point. Likewise high excess. I get a lot more 'piece of mind' having a healthy emergency fund.

Company PMI policies often cover pre-existing conditions, whereas those taken out individually do not.
I was amazed that my company policy covered my serious MH condition which I have had for 30+ years.
I spent a month in a private psychiatric hospital recently which was covered by my policy and was a much more comfortable and less traumatic environment than my previous stay in an NHS psychiatric hospital.