Do I need private health insurance for physiotherapy?

chris0147

Hi all,

I need your help as i'm new to this. 

I need physiotherapy treatment because I have got a condition called chronic pelvic pain syndrome. The hospital that have physiotherapy who are specialist in my condition is at St Thomas hospital in London. 

Would the insurance cover everything for physiotherapy treatments?

Do you think it is cheaper for me to get health insurance than to pay myself or it would be cheaper to pay myself?

The cost for physiotherapy on private health care is £90 for one hour and £68 for follow ups. I have a look on private health insurance it say it will cost me between £25 to £30 to cover for physiotherapy.

I'm not sure if it is worth it to get health insurance that if they would cover everything for physiotherapy treatments include the machine to use it to treat for my hamstrings and other muscles. 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance. 

unforeseen

I would think that it wouldn't be covered because it is an existing condition. 

chris0147

unforeseen said:

I would think that it wouldn't be covered because it is an existing condition. 

Do you mean thatbthe existing condition as I know what I have got?

If so it would be a shame because it will be expensive to pay private physiotherapy for treatment. 

Sandtree

chris0147 said:

unforeseen said:

I would think that it wouldn't be covered because it is an existing condition. 

Do you mean thatbthe existing condition as I know what I have got?

If so it would be a shame because it will be expensive to pay private physiotherapy for treatment. 

If you buy a Private Medical Insurance policy today it will only cover you for conditions that you develop from today onwards... you can't bet on a horse race after its already finished. There can be exceptions with corporate policies so check if its an option via work.

The only other option is to look at Health Cash Plans, especially via work again, these only pay out a modest amount for the likes of physio but as long as you go to the dentist once a year or such you are likely to be able to claim more than the annual premiums

chris0147

Sandtree said:

chris0147 said:

unforeseen said:

I would think that it wouldn't be covered because it is an existing condition. 

Do you mean thatbthe existing condition as I know what I have got?

If so it would be a shame because it will be expensive to pay private physiotherapy for treatment. 

If you buy a Private Medical Insurance policy today it will only cover you for conditions that you develop from today onwards... you can't bet on a horse race after its already finished. There can be exceptions with corporate policies so check if its an option via work.

The only other option is to look at Health Cash Plans, especially via work again, these only pay out a modest amount for the likes of physio but as long as you go to the dentist once a year or such you are likely to be able to claim more than the annual premiums

Oh I got it now as it make sense.

Can I get health cash plans for my existing condition?

If not do I have to pay myself then? 

Sandtree

chris0147 said:

Can I get health cash plans for my existing condition?

If not do I have to pay myself then? 

Cash plans do often cover pre-existing conditions, obviously check before buying, but they have modest limits and their business model is really a about having a £7.50 a month premium that you forget about and so over the years just keep paying forgetting about it and not claiming etc. So it may make a contribution towards the costs but by no means will pay for it all plus you pay and then reclaim the amount you can.

PMI tends to have premiums in the £100+ mark so you know you are paying but a claim can easily be £50k plus and they pay directly.

Ultimately its you choice to see if you can get an NHS referral with their limited amounts and long waiting lists or pay for it privately (possibly with a partial contribution from a cash plan after)

chris0147

Sandtree said:

chris0147 said:

Can I get health cash plans for my existing condition?

If not do I have to pay myself then? 

Cash plans do often cover pre-existing conditions, obviously check before buying, but they have modest limits and their business model is really a about having a £7.50 a month premium that you forget about and so over the years just keep paying forgetting about it and not claiming etc. So it may make a contribution towards the costs but by no means will pay for it all plus you pay and then reclaim the amount you can.

PMI tends to have premiums in the £100+ mark so you know you are paying but a claim can easily be £50k plus and they pay directly.

Ultimately its you choice to see if you can get an NHS referral with their limited amounts and long waiting lists or pay for it privately (possibly with a partial contribution from a cash plan after)

I am not going to claim on it. I need physiotherapy treatment to get my health back to normal. It is expensive if I pay private.

I am on the NHS but my physio has now left and there is very short of staff. I will have to wait or go private. My physio told me before she left that I can go private as it will be much quicker but it cost money. 

Does private health care accept health cash plans? 

Do you think if I am better off to get health cash plans or go private?? 

Sandtree

chris0147 said:
Does private health care accept health cash plans? 

Do you think if I am better off to get health cash plans or go private?? 

No, with cash plans you pay first and then claim off the policy.

Limits will vary by provider and level of cover, I have a fairly basic policy and it cover up to £200 per year on physio... premiums are effectively circa £75 so £125 up just on physio plus you can claim on dentists, opticians etc too

It wouldn't be an either/or choice... you'd go private and then its option if you buy a cash plan reclaim some of the cost.

theoretica

To work out whether a health cash plan will be worth it for you you will need to estimate how many appointments you will need, and for how long.  Many will need you to be a member for a while before they will pay towards physio for pre-existing conditions, and will only pay half the cost of each appointment.  So they may save you a little if you are having a lot of appointments for a long time, but you will also need to pay quite a lot yourself.

chris0147

Sandtree said:

chris0147 said:
Does private health care accept health cash plans? 

Do you think if I am better off to get health cash plans or go private?? 

No, with cash plans you pay first and then claim off the policy.

Limits will vary by provider and level of cover, I have a fairly basic policy and it cover up to £200 per year on physio... premiums are effectively circa £75 so £125 up just on physio plus you can claim on dentists, opticians etc too

It wouldn't be an either/or choice... you'd go private and then its option if you buy a cash plan reclaim some of the cost.

If I pay £5 a month, do I have to go to private physio to pay myself then claim off the policy like £90?? 

Can I do this in every 2 months or i can only do this once to claim it back? 

I'm not sure if it is worth it. 

chris0147

theoretica said:

To work out whether a health cash plan will be worth it for you you will need to estimate how many appointments you will need, and for how long.  Many will need you to be a member for a while before they will pay towards physio for pre-existing conditions, and will only pay half the cost of each appointment.  So they may save you a little if you are having a lot of appointments for a long time, but you will also need to pay quite a lot yourself.

I don't know how many appointments I will have. Can I claim back if I go private health care or it have to be on the NHS?

If they do both, do I have to show them with proof of bank statement before they pay me? 

Are they going to pay me full or half of the costs if I go 12 appointments or more? 

E.g I pay £816 for 12 appointments and the health cash plans pay me £408??