Have you got private health cover?

[JC17fj74]

I'm thinking of getting private health cover, it worries me at the moment the wait times in the NHS would be backlogged and months and months wait to be seen via referral.
The prices I have looked at seem really high if you have got cover who are you with and how much do you pay? The lowest I could find was £70 a month 😕

Also anyone who has it would you say it's actually worth it? Thanks :)

We have it through work, and have had our moneys worth out of it over the years - but only as it covers pre existing conditions, so DH has had a number of knee surgeries, and is just waiting for one now that wouldn't be covered on personal insurance

Yes but work pay so no idea how much it costs. I haven’t used it so far.

Yes, again through work but definitely worth it. I had cancer treatment that was over £100k which I could never have afforded to pay! Also had access to some chemo drugs that at the time weren't available on the NHS (they are now). So yes it's not cheap but in my opinion it's worth it.

I work in this area and £70 does seem high but it's obviously dependent on age - your premiums will go up the older you get.

I'm wary of giving too much advice as health insurance is the one cover I think you should take advice on - it is very personal to you and depending on the underwriting, cover can be very different.

One thing I would say is that you can get cover for specific conditions which can be much more reasonable - a few providers offer cover just for cancer, as an example, and the premiums for that can be as little as about £7 a month. Cash plans can also give you money back for Specialisg appointments and diagnostic tests which could be a good way to get an initial diagnosis?

A lot of advisers will offer free advice so well worth looking into.

Btw, I think you're right that the NHS is going to see so much more pressure following the last year which will definitely cause longer delays. If you can afford it, it is something I would prioritise although I do worry about the 'two tier' healthcare this will create.. but this has always been the case and anything which can ease the pressure on the NHS is a good thing at this point!

Yes, we have it and (very!) luckily my husbands company pay for the family. We're with a company called Intraglobal. We've used it a few times over the years (maternity, dental and even a medevac after a ski accident) I believe one of the few companies that insure aspects of a pandemic. Not sure of all of the details though as thank goodness, haven't had to look into it (yet?) I believe it's around £200 pppm.

We pay £270 a month which is quite a chunk. Have never claimed on it, weirdly, as although I use a private GP I always forget about the insurance and just pay on the desk.

Yes, we have it through dh’s work. I feel it is worth it - I was recently referred and seen in the breast clinic within days rather than having to wait with the NHS. Think I would have had a long wait if NHS as non-urgent referral. I’ve also been seen and treated very quickly for a hip injury that I doubt would have been considered serious enough for NHS treatment.

Used to have full private healthcare when DH was in a different job. When he left and was doing a lower paid job we joined a Benenden scheme (think it used to be a civil service scheme). It doesn't give nearly as much cover as a full scheme but is a back up for the NHS when waiting times are long. We've applied twice for cover (once for a gall bladder removal, the other for councelling) and been approved for funding but in both cases the NHS appointments came through quickly so we used the services of the local services. Downside of the scheme is you either have to go to their hospital which is in Kent (I think) or to a nominated(by them) private facility elsewhere which could be away from home. But I think we pay £23pm for 2 of us and we're nearly 60.

I've got Bupa through work. I pay around £600 on my p11d but also pay £60 a month for the rest of my family. I have had loads done on it and I would be very worried if we didn't have it looking at how bad the nhs care is for my elderly parents.

We had private health cover through my husband's work, but as he's just left the company we looked in to the cost of paying for the same level of cover for the both of us - £700 a month

We did want existing conditions included though, for which we've both recently received treatment - ankle replacement for me and knee and elbow problems for him.

We've decided we'd be better off putting that money away and self-funding if further treatment is required in the future. An appointment with a consultant costs around £140.

Yes we have it through DH's work so no idea how much it costs. I've never used it but DH used it to have a kidney stone removed. It does seem to remove a lot of the bureaucracy - he went in, had a scan, they asked him to choose a date for removal and it was done.

NHS meanwhile, went for a scan, received an appointment for 3 months later, saw consultant who said oh, the scan is now out of date, this appointment is a bit of a waste of time, we'll make another appointment for scan rinse and repeat.

The only issue I think is that you may need to see your GP first to be referred which may or may not be a problem in your area.

Well worth the cost would never want to be at the mercy of NHS by choice. You will find that the manner of treatment is far superior no time pressure and I have never felt that cost was an issue just the best treatment for the issue. For example both myself and a similar age friend were experiencing gnae problems I went private and within less than a month had seen a consultant had investigations and was operated on successfully. She meanwhile was still trying to get referred to a consultant by the same GP and finally now 18 months later after trying several other types of treatment she is now finally on the waiting list for the same procedure I had. It speaks for itself!!

We have it. Both DH and I get ours through our companies, I have added my dc to mine as my grade allows me to add them and the company pay.

Yep.
Have I had the worth of it ? Some years yes some not. Just had an operation that was under “NICE. Say this needs to come out soonish , though all indicators suggest it’s probably not a cancer “.

No way would I have had this on NHS at the moment ( and had 2 dates cancelled anyway as nhs commandeered facilities ).

Anything “ minor “ is much better done privately as you get a degree of choice around where and when things happen. Right now anything “ minor “ will just not happen at all on nhs.

I used to think if I had seriously pathology the nhs would be best. I’m not sure now.

I have it through work. I had it privately for two years with Vitality when I was between employed jobs, but got annoyed with them because even though I had no claims and did everything I could to improve my health they kept increasing the premium each year and refused to cover a pre-existing condition even on year 3. I can understand not covering for the first year or two but it was a very minor thing, and I'd had it treated on the NHS anyway so hadn't even called on my previous private health insurance to deal with it.

I've been covered for most of my working life and have only used it once. I guess it depends how healthy you feel!

Yes. It saved my life 20 years ago. I would be dead now as the NHS didn't believe my symptoms as I was "too young" and kept telling me I was mad and needed antidepressants instead, refusing to refer me to a consultant. I had cover through my job and as I was young, I didn't know much about it until a colleague told me to use it and see someone privately. I was being operated on six days later.

I've only ever used private GPs (or the free video GP service that comes with my insurance) for me and my children ever since. My kids and me aren't even registered with an NHS GP, there is no point as I can get a far better service elsewhere - not saying everyone should do this, but it works for us and I've had bad experiences.

I pay £100 a month for me and two children. Covers everything from referral onwards. The only thing I pay for is if I want to see our private GP face to face rather than use the video calls.

Yes, again through work but definitely worth it. I had cancer treatment that was over £100k which I could never have afforded to pay! Also had access to some chemo drugs that at the time weren't available on the NHS (they are now). So yes it's not cheap but in my opinion it's worth it

This x100 and for exactly the same reasons. I pay £2k a year for 4 of us including all central London hospitals - wanted to make sure royal Marsden private, London oncology clinic, the London clinic and Princess Grace and UCH private care were all covered for cancer.

I have. I work in the public sector so I have to source and pay it by myself. £50 a month for me and my two children. I have used it a lot to get tests quicker.

Last year I found a lump on my DS (then only 9 months). GP referred us for an urgent scan in January. Appointment was scheduled for early April. I used the private medical and got it looked at the next day.

It's been a huge relief do not have to wait months and months for diagnostic testing. Or minor ops like mole removals, etc.

I have it through partner's work.

I've had a lot of treatments on my back which total £10k at the moment - would have waited a year on the NHS and the quality of care is phenomenal... Literally get your treatment a couple days later

@Mumblechum0

We pay £270 a month which is quite a chunk. Have never claimed on it, weirdly, as although I use a private GP I always forget about the insurance and just pay on the desk.

What?! How can you forget? Just add your number!

@SanFranBear

I work in this area and £70 does seem high but it's obviously dependent on age - your premiums will go up the older you get.

I'm wary of giving too much advice as health insurance is the one cover I think you should take advice on - it is very personal to you and depending on the underwriting, cover can be very different.

One thing I would say is that you can get cover for specific conditions which can be much more reasonable - a few providers offer cover just for cancer, as an example, and the premiums for that can be as little as about £7 a month. Cash plans can also give you money back for Specialisg appointments and diagnostic tests which could be a good way to get an initial diagnosis?

A lot of advisers will offer free advice so well worth looking into.

Btw, I think you're right that the NHS is going to see so much more pressure following the last year which will definitely cause longer delays. If you can afford it, it is something I would prioritise although I do worry about the 'two tier' healthcare this will create.. but this has always been the case and anything which can ease the pressure on the NHS is a good thing at this point!

Thank you. I'm only 32 and no pre existing health conditions. I was surprised how high it was 😔

@Dogsandbabies

I have. I work in the public sector so I have to source and pay it by myself. £50 a month for me and my two children. I have used it a lot to get tests quicker.

Last year I found a lump on my DS (then only 9 months). GP referred us for an urgent scan in January. Appointment was scheduled for early April. I used the private medical and got it looked at the next day.

It's been a huge relief do not have to wait months and months for diagnostic testing. Or minor ops like mole removals, etc.

This seems reasonable. Who is the cover with please?

I have it through my work snd pay around £40/month to cover my husband and family. It's a pre tax benefit so I don't even notice. We have used it loads. Husband has had knee surgery twice and a hernia op and all the family have used it for physio. We're all sporty and it comes in really handy as it's self referral for up to 4 sessions.

I've just read about the 6 week rule which rescues the premium as if you can be seen within 6 weeks by the nhs then you go down that route and if not then go private.
Is this a good idea? Because my thoughts are 6 weeks with the nhs isn't too bad or if it's longer then I can use private cover? I am thinking that the nhs wait times would be longer than 6 weeks anyway so if it will reduce my months premium then it might be worth it?