Recommendations on Private Health Insurance given NHS waits....

IAMIAM

AXA? BUPA? AVIVA? SPIRE?

Wondering if anyone had any experience of brands and services. I am contemplating taking a policy out with AXA....is every past illness classed as excluded? What about if many years has passed. Anyone any recommendations on where to buy the policy from. Moneysupermarket seems to have much larger premiums than others...

I am ideally looking for an all in, minimal excess policy for both inpatient/outpatient/diagnostics and treatment but without hassle of claims being rejected or delayed times to wait for NHS doctor form filling....

Sandtree

Most the providers have a range of products and different options depending on if you are buying the PMI direct, an employers scheme etc. Some will exclude all conditions, some will cover conditions if you've been symptom/treatment/checkup free for X years, some will do underwriting and some simply cover all conditions (the later namely corporate schemes).

Excess are free for you to choose but premiums increase substantially as you lower them.

Claims will only be rejected if you claim for something not covered, have lied on your application or having some exceptionally left field treatment plan. NHS GP wont need to do "form filling" for a claim but would need to do a basic referral letter for most conditions (some you can self refer). If its hard to get a GP appointment at your practice then you can pay for a private GP to do a referral. 

Personally with Bupa on a personal policy but ported from a corporate scheme and so have all pre-existing conditions covered. Had 2 claims to date and both were handled without any issues in practice. In one case the telephone support team did say they felt the proposed hospital stay was longer than would normally be considered reasonable but that was authorised without any challenges as was the further extension of the stay.

TELLIT01

I'm assuming the OP is asking because they have a current problem.  It will be difficult to find private cover for an 'active' condition.  If cover is available, it won't be cheap.

MalMonroe

This is really upsetting because this is the way our government now wants us to think and if people start going down this route, all medical services are going to be privatised. It's started already with many GP surgeries now being privately owned. And dentistry at the outset of the NHS was supposed to be free for all, as were prescriptions. Not so now. 

Are you sure that the NHS services (which are actually pretty good if you've ever experienced them) are going to let you down?

Last year, blood tests taken at my GPs surgery indicated that I was severely anaemic and the GP I saw immediately referred me for investigative tests. By email, not letter. I was contacted by the hospital one week later and offered appointments at the hospital for the following week for two endoscopies. The doctor was concerned that the results may be an early indication of cancer (thankfully they weren't, it was just plain old anaemia) and she acted so quickly it made my head spin. 

In my opinion, and if my own experience is anything to go by, you won't get a better service than the NHS. Most private consultants work for the NHS as well and many of them cannot see patients any quicker than the NHS anyway. 

The more people who desert our NHS the worse it's going to be and it's in bad enough shape already. You can always ask your GP to refer you for further investigations or even for a second opinion, if you are not happy. You can also ask them to get a move on. But why pay more for the exact same treatment you can get for free? I mean it's not actually free because we pay for it through our taxes and NI contributions but it's free at source, which it always should be. 

TELLIT01

MalMonroe, many consultants do private work as well as work for the NHS and their private patients will be on a different list, and will have different waiting times for consultation and treatment.  I'm waiting for hip replacement surgery which will take place in a private hospital but NHS funded.  When I saw the consultant he asked me whether I was NHS or Private.  When I said NHS he informed me the waiting list was about 18 months long.  If there was no difference between NHS and Private, he wouldn't have asked the question.

I'm not saying that would necessarily be the case for life threatening problems but it's certainly true for elective surgery.  It has been that way for many years.  Back in the late 90s I had a problem with my knee and saw my GP about it.  The initial reaction was that I would need to be referred for physio and see the outcome of that first.  When I said I had private health cover, the need for physio disappeared and I saw the consultant under my private cover in a couple of weeks.

SlinkyWeevil

MalMonroe said:

This is really upsetting because this is the way our government now wants us to think and if people start going down this route, all medical services are going to be privatised. It's started already with many GP surgeries now being privately owned. And dentistry at the outset of the NHS was supposed to be free for all, as were prescriptions. Not so now. 

Are you sure that the NHS services (which are actually pretty good if you've ever experienced them) are going to let you down?

Last year, blood tests taken at my GPs surgery indicated that I was severely anaemic and the GP I saw immediately referred me for investigative tests. By email, not letter. I was contacted by the hospital one week later and offered appointments at the hospital for the following week for two endoscopies. The doctor was concerned that the results may be an early indication of cancer (thankfully they weren't, it was just plain old anaemia) and she acted so quickly it made my head spin. 

In my opinion, and if my own experience is anything to go by, you won't get a better service than the NHS. Most private consultants work for the NHS as well and many of them cannot see patients any quicker than the NHS anyway. 

The more people who desert our NHS the worse it's going to be and it's in bad enough shape already. You can always ask your GP to refer you for further investigations or even for a second opinion, if you are not happy. You can also ask them to get a move on. But why pay more for the exact same treatment you can get for free? I mean it's not actually free because we pay for it through our taxes and NI contributions but it's free at source, which it always should be. 

I’m really pleased that you’ve had a positive experience recently, but within my own family this year, we’ve been denied routine treatment for a very common condition on the nhs due to a “lack of resources” because they will “only treat the very worst cases now” and the rest just “have to live with it”, and a second person was denied a referral to a specialist on a nhs.  Said person ended up paying privately to see a specialist, to be told by the consultant that they need surgery.  Had that person been unable to afford the consultation fee, their problem would have gone undiagnosed presumably until it was irreparable. 

I fully agree that by going down this route it further encourages the government that the inadequacy of services is fine because people will just pay privately, but it’s quite a hill to die on to endanger your own health by insisting the nhs help you when you’ve been told explicitly you’re not entitled to treatment. 

Alderbank

MalMonroe said:

...all medical services are going to be privatised. It's started already with many GP surgeries now being privately owned.

GP surgeries have never been owned by the NHS

And dentistry at the outset of the NHS was supposed to be free for all, as were prescriptions.

Only for a couple of years. NHS Dental charges and ophthalmic charges started in 1951, over 70 years ago, and prescription charges started in 1952.

In my opinion, and if my own experience is anything to go by, you won't get a better service than the NHS.

The care, skill and dedication of NHS staff is excellent. The big problem is delays and rationing. Among developed nations only the USA ranks behind the UK, all other developed countries now give a better service.
This is in no way because of the care, skill or dedication of staff but entirely because of politics of all governments and chronic underfunding

[Deleted User]

Keep in mind that if your get private care for something, the NHS won't treat it. Talk to the NHS staff first.

Sandtree

[Deleted User] said:

Keep in mind that if your get private care for something, the NHS won't treat it. Talk to the NHS staff first.

The NHS cannot refuse to treat you just because you've had private care

MalMonroe said:

Last year, blood tests taken at my GPs surgery indicated that I was severely anaemic and the GP I saw immediately referred me for investigative tests. By email, not letter. I was contacted by the hospital one week later and offered appointments at the hospital for the following week for two endoscopies. The doctor was concerned that the results may be an early indication of cancer (thankfully they weren't, it was just plain old anaemia) and she acted so quickly it made my head spin. 

Glad you had a positive experience, given what they suspect it was however probably helped your case be prioritised. 

As a balancing view our GP sent the referral email to BUPA on the Wednesday on Thursday I got a call from the consultant's PA being very apologetic that they couldn't fit me in until Tuesday but that they'd see me in the morning, based on the notes they's booked in an MRI for after the consultant and I'd have a second appoint after lunch to get the results of the MRI. On the day they said physio would also be required so they booked that for after the second consultant's appointment.

MalMonroe said:

In my opinion, and if my own experience is anything to go by, you won't get a better service than the NHS. Most private consultants work for the NHS as well and many of them cannot see patients any quicker than the NHS anyway. 

Absolutely the vast majority do both but they will work set hours with each and the number of patients per hour worked on the NHS will be massively higher than on their private work hence long waits for NHS and short/no waits for private. 

IAMIAM

Sandtree said:

[Deleted User] said:

Keep in mind that if your get private care for something, the NHS won't treat it. Talk to the NHS staff first.

The NHS cannot refuse to treat you just because you've had private care

MalMonroe said:

Last year, blood tests taken at my GPs surgery indicated that I was severely anaemic and the GP I saw immediately referred me for investigative tests. By email, not letter. I was contacted by the hospital one week later and offered appointments at the hospital for the following week for two endoscopies. The doctor was concerned that the results may be an early indication of cancer (thankfully they weren't, it was just plain old anaemia) and she acted so quickly it made my head spin. 

Glad you had a positive experience, given what they suspect it was however probably helped your case be prioritised. 

As a balancing view our GP sent the referral email to BUPA on the Wednesday on Thursday I got a call from the consultant's PA being very apologetic that they couldn't fit me in until Tuesday but that they'd see me in the morning, based on the notes they's booked in an MRI for after the consultant and I'd have a second appoint after lunch to get the results of the MRI. On the day they said physio would also be required so they booked that for after the second consultant's appointment.

MalMonroe said:

In my opinion, and if my own experience is anything to go by, you won't get a better service than the NHS. Most private consultants work for the NHS as well and many of them cannot see patients any quicker than the NHS anyway. 

Absolutely the vast majority do both but they will work set hours with each and the number of patients per hour worked on the NHS will be massively higher than on their private work hence long waits for NHS and short/no waits for private. 

I agree with this. Look at orthodontics on NHS, the wait list is huge even for a child who needs it. Most dentists have now allocated NHS appointment slots and Private Appointment Slots. Want to pay, see you tomorrow, want NHS, the next available appointment is in 2023 sir. It's like this everywhere in the NHS now. I would seriously pay less tax/NI and just have private cover if needs be, the fact I have to pay for both NHS and private  to avoid a long wait list of two years or even death before I am treated isn't fair - but that's a whole other debate. 

Sandtree

IAMIAM said:

Sandtree said:

[Deleted User] said:

Keep in mind that if your get private care for something, the NHS won't treat it. Talk to the NHS staff first.

The NHS cannot refuse to treat you just because you've had private care

MalMonroe said:

Last year, blood tests taken at my GPs surgery indicated that I was severely anaemic and the GP I saw immediately referred me for investigative tests. By email, not letter. I was contacted by the hospital one week later and offered appointments at the hospital for the following week for two endoscopies. The doctor was concerned that the results may be an early indication of cancer (thankfully they weren't, it was just plain old anaemia) and she acted so quickly it made my head spin. 

Glad you had a positive experience, given what they suspect it was however probably helped your case be prioritised. 

As a balancing view our GP sent the referral email to BUPA on the Wednesday on Thursday I got a call from the consultant's PA being very apologetic that they couldn't fit me in until Tuesday but that they'd see me in the morning, based on the notes they's booked in an MRI for after the consultant and I'd have a second appoint after lunch to get the results of the MRI. On the day they said physio would also be required so they booked that for after the second consultant's appointment.

MalMonroe said:

In my opinion, and if my own experience is anything to go by, you won't get a better service than the NHS. Most private consultants work for the NHS as well and many of them cannot see patients any quicker than the NHS anyway. 

Absolutely the vast majority do both but they will work set hours with each and the number of patients per hour worked on the NHS will be massively higher than on their private work hence long waits for NHS and short/no waits for private. 

I agree with this. Look at orthodontics on NHS, the wait list is huge even for a child who needs it. Most dentists have now allocated NHS appointment slots and Private Appointment Slots. Want to pay, see you tomorrow, want NHS, the next available appointment is in 2023 sir. It's like this everywhere in the NHS now. I would seriously pay less tax/NI and just have private cover if needs be, the fact I have to pay for both NHS and private  to avoid a long wait list of two years or even death before I am treated isn't fair - but that's a whole other debate. 

As you say, another debate, though personally comfortable paying my taxes knowing the NHS will always be there even if I pay for top tier private medical insurance (which will never send an ambulance as I lay in the street after being hit by a bus)