Cost of self funding healthcare

6am

I am having trouble understanding how the self funding healthcare is priced in this country.


My wife needs an operation. Today we got a quote from the consultant's secretary.


NHS private - £2800 + consultant's fee £860
Spire £3400 + consultant's fee £860 + anaesthetist’s fee £260


We do not have insurance but if we had than Aviva would pay the same consultant up to £264, BUPA would pay up to £452, and AXA would pay up to £450 (I found these prices by googling the operation code and then going to insurance sites)


Does it mean that the consultant is trying to rip us off, or is he underpayed for his work by insurance companies? Is it worth looking for another consultant?


I also contacted BMI healthcare and they came back with Procedure fee: £1200 - Consultant fee - £420. Anaesthetic fee: £80


I.e. almost twice as cheap as private NHS. What am I missing? Why are they so cheap compared to other healthcare providers?



Are they (BMI) any good?

GlasweJen

There's more to this than the consultant, there will be sterile instruments to use; the cost of hiring an operating theatre; the cost of the nurse in theatre; the recovery bed and nurses; the insurer will also pay those costs.

sn1987a

Could it be that the insurance covers only part of the fees and you pay the rest?

sheramber

I would agree.The insurance have a maximum they will pay out ( up to a maximum) and you will need to pay any excess above that.

Nicki

I’d have read that to mean:

If you have operation as a private patient in the consultants NHS hospital you pay price 1. If you want to go to the Spire private hospital, you pay price 2.

Sharon87

Don't forget you also pay the annual/monthly fee for private healthcare, so that's part of the reason it could be cheaper than the private NHS. You're paying them however much it is per year on top of the fees