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Original poster

Private health care?

20 replies

cookielove · 13/12/2011 21:02

This really isn't a health question, but figured this is probably the best place to put this question.

So my partner has been offered private healthcare through his company, and i can also claim it if i so wish.

For those of you that have private, would you say its worth it, and what are the benefits of it?

TIA

OP posts:

nappymaestro · 13/12/2011 21:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

cookielove · 13/12/2011 21:13

Thats is a positive reply, i just wanted to make sure it would be worth, will fill out the form

OP posts:

cardamomginger · 13/12/2011 21:21

Without question get yourself on the policy!!! Aside from all the stuff about private rooms, better food, higher nurse to patient ratios, etc etc, if you get ill you will get to see the consultant who is best placed to treat you, rather than having to see the registrar who happens to be on rotation at whichever hospital you happen to fall within the catchment area of (excuse clunky grammar). Said registrar may be fab and may have a special interest in your condition, or she/he may not. It's the luck of the draw. And you will get seen quicker privately. Do it!!

Original poster

cookielove · 13/12/2011 21:24

The form is filled, and will be heading back tommorrow but thank you fro your messages. I just like to get other opinions makes me feel better.

OP posts:

Bohica · 13/12/2011 21:30

I agree with taking up the offer, we have had it for years now and used it on many occasions, one being when I had kidney stones and was left in our nhs hospital for 3 days on morphine because it was the Easter weekend.
DH managed to get me transfered and stent and other treatment was administered the same day of the transfer.

DH is also seen in oncology and appointments are on time and not double booked which make a massive difference when fitting scans, bloods etc in with work.

MaureenMLove · 13/12/2011 22:00

100% worth it! Thankfully, I haven't needed to use DH's benefit from his firm, but DD has. Only an ingrowing toenail, but just the convenience of being able to chose when to have the procedure and the convenience of follow up appointments when i wanted, made it worth every penny.

DH has used it a couple of times too. We are with Aviva and the ladies that I spoke to, during the course of DH's last 'episode', were bloody lovely. They were that lovely, I was moved to ask to speak to customer service about them!

When the premiums went up last year (not a lot, but enough for me to question if we were getting the best deal) I rang around and every single company that I spoke to, said that doing it through a company health scheme is by far the cheapest way to do it. By at least £50 a month, for a whole family.

If you can get it - do it.

notcitrus · 13/12/2011 22:25

Hell yes, and for your children (if any).
It's invaluable for enabling you to see a consultant in a few days rather than weeks, so if you have a painful/disabling condition preventing you working properly, it can get resolved much more quickly - so figure out what the issue is and then access physio/osteopathy/further appts with consultant ASAP.

I'm sure I'd have lost jobs a few times without it. Being able to get repeated blood tests done quickly outside working hours also helped my career stay fairly unaffected.

The private hospitals themselves are pleasant but not why I have the insurance. The only time I've been an in-patient (day case, wisdom teeth out), I didn't get to enjoy any of the food anyway and the nursing was no better than the NHS. And Country Life and other posh mags are really boring!

Putthatbookdown · 13/12/2011 22:25

I do not know where you live but if the policy gives access to London hospitals grab it. My local hospital had no facilities for inpatient and had mrsa anyway so whole thing had tobe done at home for 8 weeks. The specialist hos pital in London had no MRSA and ipatient treatment done in 3 weeks. Same 4 years later with cancer: local one took ages : of to london Fanatastic .even told us prognosis while local service just couldnot cope

l4k · 14/12/2011 15:47

Hi, I don't know who the cover you are being offered is with but it does make a difference.
We have company cover with WPA and they have been very awkward at times.They have paid out for us quite a few times but mostly its like pulling teeth.I joke that there is not much left of me they are willing to cover because they are always refusing to cover body parts.
We have repeatedly been told that they are the worse company to deal with by private hospital admin and consultants PA's.
I wish I knew who would be better?I'd still rather have wpa than nothing but who else is good?
Who is your cover with op?

Strawberrytallcake · 14/12/2011 18:12

Bupa is amazing, aviva has been good bar one incident last year when they delayed authorising some of my treatment and demanded my ENTIRE medical history which, given that they only take the last 5 years into consideration was ridiculous. That was when we personally paid for it but now it has been switched to the company they are very good.

I would advise everyone that after essential bills private healthcare is the most important extra, even if it means going out for dinner less in the month! I had a bad smear result two weeks ago and haven't had my NHS colposcopy letter through yet but I have already had a consultation, treatment and procedure done privately. My results will take a week whereas NHS take 4-6.

Last year I spend a year visiting my gp due to inter menstrual bleeding who insisted there was nothing wrong, I managed to get her to refer me to a private specialist and had a tumour removed the next week.

Private medical insurance is so important.

Original poster

cookielove · 15/12/2011 18:54

Its with Bupa, it should all start in January and we leave about a 40 min drive to inner London 15-20 min from some of the London Boroughs, 20 min train journey from London, so not sure if that would qualify us.

OP posts:

Putthatbookdown · 16/12/2011 20:47

Which magazine/internet have a whole thing on private medical insurance based on surveys they have done . you can see who they recommend there. Stiil, if you live near London you can get into some of the best hospitals It all comes down to where you live; private medicine just makes quicker but the same medicine . However Which do recommend grabbing company medical insurance

scurryfunge · 16/12/2011 20:52

Recommend it, if only for the timescales. Each time we have used it treatment has begun the following week rather than months of waiting.

banana87 · 16/12/2011 20:55

Absolutely worth it's weight in gold for all the reasons that have already been mentioned on this thread

mosschops30 · 16/12/2011 20:56

Yes absolutely worth it, i think dh has to contribute about £30 per month for a family of 5.
In the last few years wirh all my problems its been invaluable, and really has saved me, i even had my coil put in under GA due to my PTSD. I have seen consultants of my choice at the drop of a hat.
My treatment is excellent, the hospital clean and staff amazing.
(and work in the nhs).
We also get £1500 a year each for things like physio/osteopath which i use a lot too.

goingtoofast · 16/12/2011 20:59

I also recommend having private cover.

My dd2 'failed' an NHS hearing test. SHe was given an urgent appointment to see and ent specialist. I explained we had private cover but the audiologist said she needed to been seen urgently so there would be no time differnce if we went privatly. By the time she received her nhs appointment she had already had a consultants appointment, grommit operation and her six week hearing test!

mosschops30 · 16/12/2011 21:00

Oh and i totally agree with what strawberry says.

Plus the food in ours was lovely, i was given a menu and then a bell to press when i was ready to eat!!! (i know thats not important, but the food in our nhs hospital is unfit fir human consumption)

pooka · 16/12/2011 21:06

We have BUPA via dh's work.

Dd had her tonsils out earlier this year. She didn't have recurrent tonsillitis but was showing sleep apnoea at night and they were permanently enlarged. Was 3 days from referral to consultation and then 7 days to surgery. No quibbles. No extensive sleep surveys (which would have been required by pct, according to the surgeon). Overnight stay rather than day job. Excellent pain management and one to one nursing afterwards.

When ds1 spent a night in hospital with an asthma attack earlier this year there was a little girl having tonsils out who had terribly long wait, nil by mouth, and pretty poor pain management after IMO which meant she was in pain and unable to eat or drink. Which led to unexpected overnight stay. While I love the nhs and feel like an absolute heel for going private, I was glad that dd had access to the private healthcare because her experience was very different. And her op was absolutely necessary - she obstructed under anaesthetic and if she had got tonsillitis on already enormous tonsils could have been in serious trouble.

careergirl · 16/12/2011 23:14

grab it with both hands. Had a blood test done privately - bloods taken at lunch and results back by 4pm the same day. GP takes over a week!!! I have private health insurance through work and it is a MUST

OnTheBen10DaysofChristmas · 17/12/2011 17:36

I've had at least £20k worth of operations plus 3 MRIs, an unbelievable number of blood tests and xrays, EMG tests, ultrasounds, consultants appointments, a consultant who called me after my discharge to see how I was, his mobile number, the top lung surgeon in London, an angiogram plus around 100 sessions of physio @ £46 each in the last 13 months.

I'd definitely say it is worth it! We have Axa PPP through work and it is fantastic!

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