What's the best private health insurance?
Discussion
Bupa/Aviva/AXA - take your pick.
You'll get what you pay for.
Look out for their defaqto rating and also see if you can find out the companies net promoter score as that will give a better indication of how satisfied customers are with them.
See what extras they offer as well, free online GPs and online claiming will work out better than a company just offering cinema tickets or coffees etc.
Speak to a broker would be my first suggestion as it can be minefield.
You'll get what you pay for.
Look out for their defaqto rating and also see if you can find out the companies net promoter score as that will give a better indication of how satisfied customers are with them.
See what extras they offer as well, free online GPs and online claiming will work out better than a company just offering cinema tickets or coffees etc.
Speak to a broker would be my first suggestion as it can be minefield.
Based on experience of work schemes but I found WPA to be astonishingly good. No quibbles, easy approvals and claims.
Bupa is another I had reasonably good experience with, less straightforward to get approvals through but no issues.
Axa with my current employer have been appalling. Every claim is a battle to get paid, they have approved treatment then refused to pay after on 3 occasions in 2 years - resolved with a few phone calls and a complaint but it has left one clinician refusing to see me again unless I paid up front.
Bupa is another I had reasonably good experience with, less straightforward to get approvals through but no issues.
Axa with my current employer have been appalling. Every claim is a battle to get paid, they have approved treatment then refused to pay after on 3 occasions in 2 years - resolved with a few phone calls and a complaint but it has left one clinician refusing to see me again unless I paid up front.
Radec said:
Bupa/Aviva/AXA - take your pick.
You'll get what you pay for.
Look out for their defaqto rating and also see if you can find out the companies net promoter score as that will give a better indication of how satisfied customers are with them.
See what extras they offer as well, free online GPs and online claiming will work out better than a company just offering cinema tickets or coffees etc.
Speak to a broker would be my first suggestion as it can be minefield.
Agree with choice, maybe add Vitality.You'll get what you pay for.
Look out for their defaqto rating and also see if you can find out the companies net promoter score as that will give a better indication of how satisfied customers are with them.
See what extras they offer as well, free online GPs and online claiming will work out better than a company just offering cinema tickets or coffees etc.
Speak to a broker would be my first suggestion as it can be minefield.
Go to a broker though, Usay Compare are good and deal with every major insurer.
I’ve been with Aviva for years, just had two claims and both paid within days and I did everything online.
I get it through employer and had Cigna which i thought were decent and now have Aviva which i think are better, no issues so far and was able to self refer for physio, and they could book directly for private treatment with a local hospital whereas Cigna we had to do the leg work and use authorisation codes etc.
I work in the industry, WPA would be the "premium" choice but premiums would be a bit higher. They quibble less about you picking your own consultant.
The others are all fairly similar, as with any insurance you get what you pay for.
There has been a massive increase in self pay patients over the last 12 months, with premiums getting higher and the choice insurers offer getting smaller it can make more financial sense depending on your age/health/previous conditions.
The others are all fairly similar, as with any insurance you get what you pay for.
There has been a massive increase in self pay patients over the last 12 months, with premiums getting higher and the choice insurers offer getting smaller it can make more financial sense depending on your age/health/previous conditions.
Another thing to consider is look for companies that offer dedicated pathways for common conditions which don't require you to get a GP referral first to claim.
I'm aware of Aviva having one for mental health and musculoskeletal issues, so you just ring them up to make a claim without having gone to a GP to get a referral.
Saves a lot of time and hassle without trying to get yourself seen by your own GP first.
I'm aware of Aviva having one for mental health and musculoskeletal issues, so you just ring them up to make a claim without having gone to a GP to get a referral.
Saves a lot of time and hassle without trying to get yourself seen by your own GP first.
Big E 118 said:
I work in the industry, WPA would be the "premium" choice but premiums would be a bit higher. They quibble less about you picking your own consultant.
The others are all fairly similar, as with any insurance you get what you pay for.
There has been a massive increase in self pay patients over the last 12 months, with premiums getting higher and the choice insurers offer getting smaller it can make more financial sense depending on your age/health/previous conditions.
I’m retired now but worked in the industry for over 30 years and not sure I’d agree that WPA are the “premium” choice. The majority of people don’t have a clue how to pick a consultant and will generally look for help and guidance. Having a choice (which most insurers give) is important but help and guidance and keeping costs down is equally so.The others are all fairly similar, as with any insurance you get what you pay for.
There has been a massive increase in self pay patients over the last 12 months, with premiums getting higher and the choice insurers offer getting smaller it can make more financial sense depending on your age/health/previous conditions.
Self pay is an option but, I’d argue that it is probably better to be insured with a larger excess given the high cost of treatment. My two claims this year paid out around twice what I pay annually and I’m over 60 so premiums are a fair amount.
Edit- just did a WPA quote and it is over 50% more for worse cover and not a fan of their “shared responsibility”
Edited by craig1912 on Thursday 7th July 14:59
Been through a few and all good, currently with AXA who are really good when you can speak to them. Takes ages to get through to the call centre which is not fun when your consultant has told you he needs to do a procedure you didn’t have approval for. Genuinely took me a day of my life and two phone numbers to get through to them last week - yet when you do the staff are brilliant.
boombang said:
Axa with my current employer have been appalling. Every claim is a battle to get paid, they have approved treatment then refused to pay after on 3 occasions in 2 years - resolved with a few phone calls and a complaint but it has left one clinician refusing to see me again unless I paid up front.
My son's employers use Axa. He had an issue recently and they were great. Agreed cover was in place over the phone on day one, and settled the bill , and ongoing aftercare bills, directly to the private hospital without any issue. Siko said:
Been through a few and all good, currently with AXA who are really good when you can speak to them. Takes ages to get through to the call centre which is not fun when your consultant has told you he needs to do a procedure you didn’t have approval for. Genuinely took me a day of my life and two phone numbers to get through to them last week - yet when you do the staff are brilliant.
My company changed to Vitality. They cancelled existing treatment (despite there being an agreement to take it on), billed me my full excess, wouldn't give me proof for the cash back scheme and then told me to speak to the company's broker when they couldn't find my membership details. This all took me 3 weeks to get punished with..When I was with AXA PPP, the wait was about 40 min, then it was plain sailing.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
My son's employers use Axa. He had an issue recently and they were great. Agreed cover was in place over the phone on day one, and settled the bill , and ongoing aftercare bills, directly to the private hospital without any issue.
I am wondering if my work are on a non-premium deal with Axa.I have had pre-authorised physio treatment not paid twice, whilst within session limits and using their approved provider.
There have also then been payment shortfalls twice, again pre-approved treatment - first time AXA approved 'shockwave' at the shockwave rate and paid the physio at the lower physio rate, second time is still open.
Each time a formal complaint has been required to resolve, each time an apology from AXA and then them put right - given it was all pre approved it shouldn't have happened.
My work use Vitality. I have claimed 3 times, once for my son and twice for myself (both cancer unfortunately, testicular at the moment and a simple basal cell carcinoma).
They were good throughout all of them and I am glad the cover was in place. It’s a bit weird at the start, as with most insurers, contacting your own consultant from their lists etc. but I’m being treated by the best out there and everything is being handled smoothly.
They were good throughout all of them and I am glad the cover was in place. It’s a bit weird at the start, as with most insurers, contacting your own consultant from their lists etc. but I’m being treated by the best out there and everything is being handled smoothly.
I think the trouble with individual experiences is that it's very easy for someone to have a great experience and someone else to have a terrible experience, with the same provider. So someone could give glowing reports on a terrible insurer because they happened to get lucky, and visa versa.
I guess the only way to get a proper idea is to find some kind of survey charting the experiences of thousands of customers. and even those a skewed.
There's a famous tale of a tornado warning app in the USA. got a rating of 4.9 stars out of 5. But the reviews, hundreds of reviews saying how pretty the app looked on the home screen, that it downloaded quickly and easily, that it was free. And hidden away in the middle was a single review...tornado struck, no warning received, 4 of us injured and one killed.
I guess the only way to get a proper idea is to find some kind of survey charting the experiences of thousands of customers. and even those a skewed.
There's a famous tale of a tornado warning app in the USA. got a rating of 4.9 stars out of 5. But the reviews, hundreds of reviews saying how pretty the app looked on the home screen, that it downloaded quickly and easily, that it was free. And hidden away in the middle was a single review...tornado struck, no warning received, 4 of us injured and one killed.
craig1912 said:
I’m retired now but worked in the industry for over 30 years and not sure I’d agree that WPA are the “premium” choice.
Given others' positive sentiment towards WPA (and the fact they're a non-profit), I'm leaning in their direction. Can you elaborate why you wouldn't view WPA as the premium choice?
craig1912 said:
Edit- just did a WPA quote and it is over 50% more for worse cover and not a fan of their “shared responsibility”
What are you comparing WPA to? Isn't shared responsibility just a slightly different way of doing an excess?
MadCaptainJack said:
Can you elaborate why you wouldn't view WPA as the premium choice?
Isn't shared responsibility just a slightly different way of doing an excess?
I was comparing the premium I pay to Aviva but from experience AXA and Vitality will show similar savings.
https://www.wpa.org.uk/shared-responsibility
Yes similar to an excess and better than an excess for small claims but the discount for it is not worth it IMO.
I’d generally advise anybody not familiar with the market to use a decent broker (and I’d put money on very few if any recommending WPA as first choice).
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