Private medical insurance advice?
Discussion
Given that the NHS seems somewhat overwhelmed with massive backlogs and stories of people having vital cancer treatment, or even tests, and many other operations and procedures postponed, I'm thinking it might be wise to have some private medical insurance so that I can lessen the burden on the NHS somewhat if it were ever necessary, and get tested or treated in a rather more timely fashion.
I've no idea where to start with this - what I need, where's best to get it from, etc.
Any advice would be very gratefully received.
I've no idea where to start with this - what I need, where's best to get it from, etc.
Any advice would be very gratefully received.
I’m with AXA, through work so I don’t have experience of other companies, but it should be as simple as giving a few companies a call and discussing options.
I’ve only used them once, but they were beyond excellent, and even covered some costs that they didn’t have to.
Is it worth it to save waiting on the NHS, well I guess that depends on the issue, I had a severe herniated disc, unable to walk at times, or even move, and I couldn’t have imagined waiting for any length of time.
When it deteriorated to that point, I saw the surgeon within two days, and he operated two days after that.
I’ve only used them once, but they were beyond excellent, and even covered some costs that they didn’t have to.
Is it worth it to save waiting on the NHS, well I guess that depends on the issue, I had a severe herniated disc, unable to walk at times, or even move, and I couldn’t have imagined waiting for any length of time.
When it deteriorated to that point, I saw the surgeon within two days, and he operated two days after that.
Use a broker as it is a minefield between each company and each of the covers they offer.
https://www.usaycompare.co.uk/ are independent and offer a good service to individuals
https://www.usaycompare.co.uk/ are independent and offer a good service to individuals
I've considered taking out private medical insurance too in the past, more for the peace of mind and speed of treatment than anything else, although now the strains on the NHS are an additional factor. In the end, I've never done anything about it as I've always considered myself to be fit and healthy and hoped that NHS would look after me if I ever needed it. Of course, that decision was always going to come back and bite me on the bum. I had a health scare before Christmas and decided to get all the consultations and tests that I needed done privately on the basis that I wanted to know as soon as possible what the issue was and get treated without delay and without unnecessary risk.
I realise that had I needed treatment the costs could have mounted up considerably, but equally I could have transferred back to the NHS if the cost became excessive. So I had a succession of consultations (cardiology and neurology) and a series of tests, all of which came back with normal results, thankfully. The whole process was carried out at lightning speed and it was really reassuring to get results almost immediately and follow-up consultations within a couple of days of tests being done. I haven't been billed for everything yet, but the total cost will be not more than £2,500. In my opinion, that was well worth it and it's cost far less than I would have spent on insurance premiums over even only 5 years.
I realise that self-funding could be prohibitive in the case of a serious health issue, but for me, in this instance anyway, it ticked all the boxes.
That hasn't answered your question at all, has it, Ari? But it offers an alternative to spending maybe a couple of hundred quid a month on a service you may never use.
I realise that had I needed treatment the costs could have mounted up considerably, but equally I could have transferred back to the NHS if the cost became excessive. So I had a succession of consultations (cardiology and neurology) and a series of tests, all of which came back with normal results, thankfully. The whole process was carried out at lightning speed and it was really reassuring to get results almost immediately and follow-up consultations within a couple of days of tests being done. I haven't been billed for everything yet, but the total cost will be not more than £2,500. In my opinion, that was well worth it and it's cost far less than I would have spent on insurance premiums over even only 5 years.
I realise that self-funding could be prohibitive in the case of a serious health issue, but for me, in this instance anyway, it ticked all the boxes.
That hasn't answered your question at all, has it, Ari? But it offers an alternative to spending maybe a couple of hundred quid a month on a service you may never use.
It’s worth it and you might not know when you will need it. Ex-husband (cheating toe rag) had an inguinal hernia. It was so bad he had 24 hours to live as the bowel was about to rupture and septicaemia had been detected. After the operation he developed a hydrocele. Once that was removed he had another hydrocele. Shortly after that he was diagnosed with some neurological disorder - managed by medication. It was around two years worth of care. A battery of tests. Specialist consultants. The excess was £250 on each claim. Care must have been in the tens of thousands. Spoke with the nurse at the private hospital she said it was £1500 a night to be admitted there. That was with BUPA. I am with AXA.
Ari said:
It’s not insurance and the benefits are discretionary I had two schemes with BUPA, came with two different jobs. First had no pre existing conditions clause and was easy to use, the second was a PITA as I had to get the doc to certify it wasn’t pre existing. There’s a significant difference in price between the two types.
I’m self insuring at the moment, the premiums as you get older get pricey.
I’m self insuring at the moment, the premiums as you get older get pricey.
As someone mentioned above go through a broker as you can be overwhelmed with the amount of options there are out there with varying range of cover and hopefully they will offer the best advice for your circumstances and also they may have special deals in place with insurers to get cheaper quotes too.
Plenty of them about like Aon, Mercer, Willis Towers Watson, Towergate and plenty of more smaller firms who will also be able to help.
In terms of insurers you have Aviva, Bupa, AXA, Simply health etc
If you want, you can even get quotes yourself directly and also via a broker and compare and see what works out cheaper/best.
There are still delays with some treatment even with private as most of them use the same hospitals and clinicians as the NHS and Covid takes priority extending into private wards. However with lockdown coming to an end, accessibility should be back to normal soon.
How it normally works is you go to your GP with an issue then if deemed necessary you will get referred to a specialist, at that point you'd ring the insurer and make a claim and they would sort it from there and get you seen to in like a week or two normally rather than the 4/5/6 month odd wait you would have on the NHS.
The good thing about private is that a lot of them are providing pathways and digital solutions for more common stuff now like musculoskeletal and mental health issues where you don't need GP referrals for this, just call them up and they will refer you on for treatment via these pathways.
Also some provide access to video conference GPs who can see you same day within a couple of hours saves having to faff about trying to get in with your local GP, and lots of other Wellbeing stuff to keep you staying healthy.
For individual insurance you will almost certain need to be fully medically underwritten so declare your medical history to the insurer and any pre existing conditions will be excluded or choose a moratorium where you will have to have gone X amount of years of treatment or advice before you can claim for the same thing.
For the speed of access and treatment especially in these uncertain times it's deffo worth it to have in case something goes wrong depending on your age and circumstances.
Someone else mentioned self funding which is fine if you can afford it and it's something like an in and out op however even things like a back issue could potentially run over £10k with surgery and physio after, Cancer depending what it is can start at over £10k and potentially go up to over £100k+ just for one year although you are able to transition back to the NHS.
It does get more expensive the older you are and what your current heallth is like but no harm in checking it out and seeing if it's something you'd wanna take out.
Plenty of them about like Aon, Mercer, Willis Towers Watson, Towergate and plenty of more smaller firms who will also be able to help.
In terms of insurers you have Aviva, Bupa, AXA, Simply health etc
If you want, you can even get quotes yourself directly and also via a broker and compare and see what works out cheaper/best.
There are still delays with some treatment even with private as most of them use the same hospitals and clinicians as the NHS and Covid takes priority extending into private wards. However with lockdown coming to an end, accessibility should be back to normal soon.
How it normally works is you go to your GP with an issue then if deemed necessary you will get referred to a specialist, at that point you'd ring the insurer and make a claim and they would sort it from there and get you seen to in like a week or two normally rather than the 4/5/6 month odd wait you would have on the NHS.
The good thing about private is that a lot of them are providing pathways and digital solutions for more common stuff now like musculoskeletal and mental health issues where you don't need GP referrals for this, just call them up and they will refer you on for treatment via these pathways.
Also some provide access to video conference GPs who can see you same day within a couple of hours saves having to faff about trying to get in with your local GP, and lots of other Wellbeing stuff to keep you staying healthy.
For individual insurance you will almost certain need to be fully medically underwritten so declare your medical history to the insurer and any pre existing conditions will be excluded or choose a moratorium where you will have to have gone X amount of years of treatment or advice before you can claim for the same thing.
For the speed of access and treatment especially in these uncertain times it's deffo worth it to have in case something goes wrong depending on your age and circumstances.
Someone else mentioned self funding which is fine if you can afford it and it's something like an in and out op however even things like a back issue could potentially run over £10k with surgery and physio after, Cancer depending what it is can start at over £10k and potentially go up to over £100k+ just for one year although you are able to transition back to the NHS.
It does get more expensive the older you are and what your current heallth is like but no harm in checking it out and seeing if it's something you'd wanna take out.
Edited by Radec on Tuesday 23 February 01:32
I looked into it but I just couldn’t get around the fact that if you just put your own money away in another bank account, and use this as your medical pot, you will be quids in unless you have a serious problem.
I know there will be loads of people who give examples of how they had so much treatment on the insurance but the fact is the insurance companies make money on the whole scheme, so the truth is that no, people do not get the money back that they put in.
I know there will be loads of people who give examples of how they had so much treatment on the insurance but the fact is the insurance companies make money on the whole scheme, so the truth is that no, people do not get the money back that they put in.
Edited by Gooose on Tuesday 23 February 10:18
When my other half took early retirement from ford we transferred her staff cover to private (axa) costs us 1800 per annum, but covers just about anything and everything, including cancer treatment (it appears that all my family die of cancer so wanted that)
When lockdown happened they extended everyone's cover to include gp cover and introduced video consulting, which they didnt have to do.
Doctor (gp) friend of mine says the private companies have been brilliant during lockdown providing support and facilities to help the nhs
When lockdown happened they extended everyone's cover to include gp cover and introduced video consulting, which they didnt have to do.
Doctor (gp) friend of mine says the private companies have been brilliant during lockdown providing support and facilities to help the nhs
Gooose said:
I looked into it but I just couldn’t get around the fact that if you just put your own money away in another bank account, and use this as your medical pot, you will be quids in unless you have a serious problem.
I know there will be loads of people who give examples of how they had so much treatment on the insurance but the fact is the insurance companies make money on the whole scheme, so the truth is that no, people do not get the money back that they put in.
That's only true if you put a very significant amount into this mythical bank account & most people simply wouldn't do that. I had cataracts treated & then a detached retina & the final bill is well over £11k, which is about 5 years of premiums. That's for a relatively simple set of procedures & anything more complex can get horrendously expensive.I know there will be loads of people who give examples of how they had so much treatment on the insurance but the fact is the insurance companies make money on the whole scheme, so the truth is that no, people do not get the money back that they put in.
If you need a new hip or knee on the NHS you're looking at years of being in increasing pain before you're assessed as being eligable for treatment & even then you just get to join the waiting list. They won't treat cataracts until you are nearly blind & below the minimum driving standard & they wouldn't treat the second eye because it wasn't bad enough so I would have ended up with a huge disparity between the vision is each eye.
Sometime's it's not just about the money, it's the ability to get treated years earlier than on the NHS.
Had it through work until the last job, so I took out some through WPA, as they came with a very good reputation*. Found them very straightforward to deal with and to claim through so far.
They're not the cheapest, and they don't cover mental health (or at least didn't when I was looking), but they don't ramp premiums up following a claim (most of the rest do). And they cover dental costs too...which is a nice little bonus.
...although they do only cover 75% of any claim (rather than having a fixed excess)...something to consider for the more expensive potential issues.
But the prospect (as I'm sure you've considered) of waiting months for e.g. cancer tests on the NHS does lead you to think it might be a good bet.
One final thought - in general (I believe there may be the odd exception, cancer springing to mind) PMI is intended to cover diagnosis and initial treatment only...anything that goes on to become a chronic condition then falls outside of the insurance and back into the sphere of the NHS (or your own wallet). They also don't cover urgent issues or trauma - that all still goes through A&E.
* Had found BUPA to be rather difficult to use - combination of their T&Cs and the attitude of the people you spoke to. Given the circumstances I was using it in, repeatedly being told "you may be liable for the costs" left a very sour taste in the mouth...
They're not the cheapest, and they don't cover mental health (or at least didn't when I was looking), but they don't ramp premiums up following a claim (most of the rest do). And they cover dental costs too...which is a nice little bonus.
...although they do only cover 75% of any claim (rather than having a fixed excess)...something to consider for the more expensive potential issues.
But the prospect (as I'm sure you've considered) of waiting months for e.g. cancer tests on the NHS does lead you to think it might be a good bet.
One final thought - in general (I believe there may be the odd exception, cancer springing to mind) PMI is intended to cover diagnosis and initial treatment only...anything that goes on to become a chronic condition then falls outside of the insurance and back into the sphere of the NHS (or your own wallet). They also don't cover urgent issues or trauma - that all still goes through A&E.
* Had found BUPA to be rather difficult to use - combination of their T&Cs and the attitude of the people you spoke to. Given the circumstances I was using it in, repeatedly being told "you may be liable for the costs" left a very sour taste in the mouth...
I have a policy from Allianz through work. So far they've paid for a couple of pairs of glasses, 90% of dentist/physio/osteopath/prescription charges and even 3 out of the 4 Covid tests we've had (Did pay the last one as they apparently don't pay for tests for travel, despite having already paid my wife's). It's important to make sure you get your moneys worth out them!
Claims are really easy, just fill in the details in their app, take a photo of the bill, and a few days later they pay it.
Claims are really easy, just fill in the details in their app, take a photo of the bill, and a few days later they pay it.
Bluesgirl said:
I've considered taking out private medical insurance too in the past, more for the peace of mind and speed of treatment than anything else, although now the strains on the NHS are an additional factor. In the end, I've never done anything about it as I've always considered myself to be fit and healthy and hoped that NHS would look after me if I ever needed it. Of course, that decision was always going to come back and bite me on the bum. I had a health scare before Christmas and decided to get all the consultations and tests that I needed done privately on the basis that I wanted to know as soon as possible what the issue was and get treated without delay and without unnecessary risk.
You might find private insurance wouldn't have covered all those costs. It can be a bit like a used car warranty - they want something specific to be wrong, they're not into vague stuff (at least, not beyond a certain point). I've fallen foul of this with a stomach problem. sociopath said:
When my other half took early retirement from ford we transferred her staff cover to private (axa) costs us 1800 per annum, but covers just about anything and everything, including cancer treatment (it appears that all my family die of cancer so wanted that)
Ours is with Axa through employer. The tax I pay is well over £1800!I don't normally see the cost but there was a bit of a kerfuffle about it last year as the person doing it forgot to renew - I was gobsmacked to see the premium for wife and I was over £6K. It was too late to do anything about it but I've said we must review it this year - I get the impression it's like car insurance renewal where they throw a stupid premium at you and expect you to argue it down.
RizzoTheRat said:
I have a policy from Allianz through work. So far they've paid for a couple of pairs of glasses, 90% of dentist/physio/osteopath/prescription charges and even 3 out of the 4 Covid tests we've had (Did pay the last one as they apparently don't pay for tests for travel, despite having already paid my wife's). It's important to make sure you get your moneys worth out them!
Claims are really easy, just fill in the details in their app, take a photo of the bill, and a few days later they pay it.
Allianz don’t offer Private Health Insurance Claims are really easy, just fill in the details in their app, take a photo of the bill, and a few days later they pay it.
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