has anyone got private health care?

Legacy_user

I’ve been thinking about getting private health cover. It wouldn’t be through work, but would just be applying for it as an individual.

What I am looking for is not ‘posh’ hospitals with all the luxuries, but just reassurance that I can get seen promptly if the need should arise, and not have to worry about things like an operation being cancelled.

I’d be interested to hear other people’s experiences of getting private health cover. I am not sure how to go about it, or which companies to approach. Is it very expensive? Also, I know they don’t do A&E in private hospitals, but are there any other things to bear in mind with regard to what is covered and what isn’t?

sophlowe45

I am wondering exactly the same thing myself, I don't need fancy posh hospitals. I don't want to be on a 6 month or a 1 year waiting list if I develop a condition that would get worse in that timeframe.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/cheap-health-insurance

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/2020461#Comment_2020461

these are old, but perhaps they may still have some useful information.

Nicki

You could look at this company, which I think is one of the cheapest around, and which a few public sector bodies I know use for their staff.

http://www.benenden.org.uk/personal-healthcare?partner=google&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Brand&utm_term=benenden&CODE=BRAND

We have private healthcare through my husband's work (never through Benenden though) and have used it loads, especially for the children. It is just a huge weight of our minds not to have to wait in long queues for access to NHS consultants in emergencies or serious situations. The most serious things we used it for were:

1. diagnosis of epilepsy for DD. She has been waiting more than 3 months for her first appointment with an NHS paediatrician, even though she was being regularly hospitalised with seizures during that period.
2. treatment for DS2 who was failure to thrive as a baby. NHS discharged him as "sicky" when he dropped from the 87th centile to the 2nd at 4 weeks old even though he was having 20+ dirty nappies daily and vomiting after every meal. He was diagnosed privately with an intolerance to breastmilk after months of expensive tests and investigations and recovered almost immediately he was moved onto a hypoallergenic milk
3. I had cancer investigations and exploratory surgery when a test at the end of December showed a marker for ovarian cancer. I was referred on the NHS for an emergency appointment but because of the Christmas and New Year shut down it was still going to be a month before I was seen. I saw an oncologist privately on Christmas Eve and had a laparoscopy between Christmas and New Years Day with my fortunately all clear results in my hand before the beginning of the New Year.

It is the one luxury I would prioritise above all others for our family.

sophlowe45

it includes physiotherapy! 4 month wait in our area, but could be longer.

thank you

ktb

My Mum (in her early 50s) wouldn't be here if she hadn't had private medical insurance and neither would my best friend's Dad - as they are both advanced Cancer patients on drugs/treatments that are not available on the NHS. My Mum is 7 years past diagnosis of her secondary breast cancer tumour now and fighting fit (considering!) & leading a totally normal life! With BUPA, no expense has been spared and she has access to the most up to date treatments, no questions asked.

I have also greatly benfited from my private healthcare. Obviously not having to wait weeks to see various specialists & picking and choosing hospitals has been great, but the real clincher for me was when I collapsed in absolute agony and was admitted as an emergency patient to an NHS hospital. After 3 excrutiating days, the NHS doctors were drawing a total blank & as it was a bank holiday weekend, there were not the right staff there to perfom the necessary investigations. Thankfully, we were able to use my private insurance to bring in specialists - on a bank holiday Sunday - and I was diagnosed within an hour, with a perferated ureter!!! I was then treated surgically, by a guy who was brought in specially via my private insurance. It had been there for 3 weeks and if left any longer it could have lead to kidney failure.

I have also had a minor ongoing health problem since my early 20s and am so glad I had my insurance when I did, as this condition would mean I was not eligible to take it out if I hadn't already. With what my Mum has been through, I 100% view this as an essential expense and would do whatever I had to to keep it. I am already saving a year's premiums to cover the maternity leave I hope to take in the next year or so.

Toothsmith

My family and I have a policy that only kicks in if the NHS wait for the treatment we need is longer than 6 weeks, or if a recommended therapy or drug isn't available on the NHS. I think it's with AXA, but many companies do policies like this.

It means it's cheaper than a policy that covers everything privately, but I feel NHS medical services are generally excellent anyway (Unlike dental services!) and providing you can get in when you need to, then I have no problem with using the NHS.

As for hospitals, whenever I've used mine for in-patient things (I've needed it twice in 20 yrs!) I always choose the private wing of my local NHS hospital.

These medical hotels the private sector run are all well and good with nice tellys meals and carpets, but there are rarely doctors on call there 24 hrs a day, and if you have a medical emergency chances are that it would be a 999 call and an ambulance ride to the local NHS hospital where all the proper doctors work, and all the life-saving equipment is!

I'd sooner be on site in the first place!

sophlowe45

medical hotels :rotfl:

exactly what I've thought with the ones I've seen, went to fetch a friend from a private hospital recently and it was like a hotel. She had employee provided PMI.

and she said the food was really nice.

Nicki

It might depend on where you live and which hospitals you are using as to availability of doctors and acute facilities. I am in London and have had a number of in patient stays for different things at different hospitals. There have always been doctors 24 hours a day (and your consultant is also on permanent call if you get really sick) and on the one occasion where I did get extremely ill in the night, there were acute facilities in the hospital and I was in a high dependency bed with all the necessary equipment. I have certainly seen registrars and house doctors at 3 am in the morning when an in patient at a private hospital who have either done what was needed in terms of prescribing medication, or minor procedures such as fitting an IV, and who have also when needed called my named consultant on the phone and either got his advice or actually brought him into the hospital to see me.

Beenie

I always think our local private hospital is like Travelodge, so calling it a medical hotel is not far off the mark.

Sadly for me, I've had to use it loads over the past few years. Tonsils, gallstones, gynae problems, hand surgery, chemotherapy and physiotherapy. The doctors are all NHS consultants rather than trainees but I wouldn't say that the treatment is better, just that it is quicker. It's the peace of mind you're paying for.

Bear in mind that lots of 'extras' have to be paid for on top of the cost of the annual premium (crutches, splits, some medications, support stockings etc. and these things are not cheap at a private hospital). The cost for 2 adults on our policy is £1800 pa, but that is hugely subsidised by OH's employer. When he retires, we've been told it will cost nearer £6000 to have the same degree of cover. Don't really know what we'll do then.

System

I would be quite happy to use the private ward of an nhs hospital, or to see an nhs consultant privately. I am really not looking for a 'medical hotel', just the peace of mind that I won't be messed about, with cancellations, and so on, or face very long waiting times if I were ill and in a lot of pain and discomfort.

So maybe the first step is check out some websites, like axa, bupa, standard life, etc. Benenden do look good but it looks like their nearest hospital to me is about 40 miles away (and is probably a medical hotel:rotfl:)

Thanks for all your replies.

sophlowe45

thanks so much for starting this thread

benenden don't seem to have a hospital in London, I just presumed they would, so I checked the map thanks to you and the nearest one is in Reading.