Are you still paying for private health insurance

[NurseImogenQuy]

I'm in a company scheme and payment is deducted from my salary monthly. I got my pay slip and there was no deduction this month so I emailed HR. They replied that as private hospitals have been taken over by the NHS they've cancelled the policy! They're going to start a new scheme when things are "back to normal". Has this happened to anyone else?

I'm a bit concerned because I need to speak to my GP on Monday and after consulting Google I think I will be referred to a consultant. Will the company's new scheme cover this?

I realise I might not have been entirely coherent - think lockdown is getting to me!

@WillYouDoTheFandango - so sorry to hear what your DP is going through and hope there's a good outcome for him.

Interesting point OP, just mentioned this to my DH to check with HR. He receives his as benefit in kind so is taxed on this. If the benefit is not available at the moment surely he shouldn’t be taxed on it?

that hospital was now reserved for COVID cases only

No private hospitals are seeing COVID patients, so this is just wrong. Something else going on there.

We are still in our policy, but also continuing having physio, who is open, and also some mental health support, which has gone on-line. So it is worth keeping policies, you never know what you might need. Certain departments will still be running a service.

@MrsWhites That will depend on if his employer is still making payments on his behalf to the insurance company or not. If they are, even if the service is not available, then I think he will be liable for tax on the value of the benefit. Either way, it should come out in his year end certificate, but it's definitely worth double checking!

Still paying AXA who cancelled my physio day after lockdown.

Not impressed with their weekly emails

Really they should reimburse policy holders to the extent that they've been paid by the state for their facilities.

@MaggieFS thank you, I’ll get him to check whether they are still paying the premium on his behalf then. It’s amazing how many different elements of our lives and finances this virus is affecting!

The hospital he was in was NHS. They have moved all other services to a hospital 8 miles away and were clearing the wards.

Tbh I couldn’t tell you exactly what was said to him about the private referral other than it was a no-go atm. He was massively confused, still has no memory of that week and when I tried to get an update from the ward staff on the telephone (no visitors allowed) they said there wasn’t anything to tell me. When I explained he wasn’t processing what they were telling him and was unable to remember given he was in for memory loss the nurse said “oh I’m like that, memory like a sieve”. It was so scary and so frustrating. Luckily he seems to be on the mend/not getting worse.