Am spitting mad .. help me write a killer 'disgusted from London' letter

[Twiglett]

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Actually, I think you have to sign something with them that allows the primary person insured to know about treatment. Doesn't he (as the employee whose benefit it is) have to sign the forms?

I'm not arguing that it's not right, btw! That's just how I remember it.

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maybe a Data Protection Act issue - after all, everything else is these days . after all you can't get more sensitive/confidential info than your medical matters

The problem is that he is the policy holder. If you were the policy holder and he was the additional cover, they'd write to you about him.

Hmmm, if there's nothing like that, then he shouldn't have gotten the letter.

Write away right away, m'dear.

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I think it's because it's he who has the contract with the company and as such has a right to know that a claim is being made on his policy. It may be different if the policy was joint rather tha you being an additional insured person IYSWIM.

It's probably also because their systems are automated to print out letters to

and the automated systems can only handle one choice of addressee.

Oh yes, they are eejits.

I used to have cover for all the family arranged through work, who used my (hard-earned) title of 'Dr'.

At some point I contacted PPP to see if my dd could get a private appointment to see an eye specialist.

Three days later we had a letter from PPP beginning: 'Dear Dr. Frogs. Further to your wife's telephone call regarding your dd's eye condition...'

I phoned them to point out that I didn't in fact have a wife, and that their assumption that anyone with the title 'Dr' must be male was outdated and offensive. Sadly, from the reaction of the half-wit who answered the phone, I concluded that my sarcasm was wasted on them.

Oh, and if my experience is anything to go by, you'll get half a dozen chiropractic appts. paid for, and then they'll pull the plug on the basis that your condition is now 'chronic' and therefore no longer covered.

Twiglett I'd send the letter that you've started above. It's polite and to the point. No need to waffle- you say everything there- go girl

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I'm getting nervous about moving now.. we'll be in the same sort of cover but with Cigna. Can private GPs refer you to consultants and you still be covered? Do they cover private prescriptions? I haven't gotten the book yet.

Anyway, was thinking about this (and actually did a v brief search for my old benefits book) but I think the patient confidentiality thing is a doctor/patient thing. You do have to give permission to the insurance company to look at your relevant (what they deem relevant) medical records if you'd like them to pay for it. So it does make sense that the policy holder is notified of all the activity on his account. It's another backup for them for fraud, not to mention, as frogs pointed out, that it's easier bookkeeping.

(Twiglett, please don't think I'm arguing -- I have a very odd interest in healthcare.)

I can understand them notifying the policy holder if a claim is made on the policy. But I think it's wrong if their communication with the policy holder gives details of your medical records/treatment/condition. They wouldn't give a parent any confidential information about an adult son or daughter, so why should they give your dh info about you? What if you'd had a termination without telling your husband, or he'd had a vasectomy, or one of you had had an STD (not implying your relationship is up the swanny, just thinking of worst outcomes from their policy).

I'd send the letter, asking them whether they are confident that their policy complies with the data protection act, and see what response you get.

Maybe worth looking up the website of the information commissioner, the official in charge of the workings of the act, to see what the rules should be.

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funny aside....not long after my first husband left me for another woman, I received a long statement from our private health insurance co (in usa) regarding my ex's very infected penis...he'd caught something not very nice from the woman he'd left me for. Needless to say, I did not have a go about their breeching his right to privacy and got a LOT of mileage out of telling everyone we knew.....

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Oh that's too funny, Sofia!

Twiglett, I think he's the policy holder because he's the one eligible through work (ie, you wouldn't be eligible for the healthcare if he didn't have a policy). Not sure if that's completely right, though.

O.M.G about the private prescriptions. Actually, does the NHS pay for prescriptions? How does that work?

Sorry for the off topic-edness

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sofia :o

sofia

Sorry for being a bit dim -- you have to pay for prescriptions on the NHS? Is there a difference between a consultant writing a prescription and an NHS doctor writing one? Can a private GP refer you to a consultant and will the insurance still pay for the consultant (I know they won't cover the GP)? I do remember drugs not costing as much as in the US, although the choice can be pretty dire. One of my friends had to move back to the US to get the MS drugs she needed.

Just curious. I've got no idea how the system works.

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Thanks, twiglett! We had a private GP on insurance last time we were there and she is fantastic. She's my age with kids the same ages as mine and just wonderful. My son was sick a lot for a year and I'm not sure how we would have gotten through it without her.

So unless we have a fab NHS GP (which is certainly possible!), I'll take the boys, at least, to her. Not because she's private, but because she's so amazingly excellent and I really get on with her. (Can you tell I like her? )

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