Reply to: What are your experiences with private healthcare?

[BrilloPad]

This.

Vitality makes it bloody difficult to make a claim, so much so that I never bothered using the company private insurance when I needed it.

BUPA/Medicash are awesome with claims. The medicash is an app. BUPA is a helpline with the emphasis on help.

[cojak]

have had Pruhealth / Vitality cover for a few years now,

haven't really had to use it much but the biggest obstacle was understanding what the process was for making a claim

the times we've tried to use the service didn't really come to much as they were pre-existing conditions

but a nice feature of our cover is an appointment with a remote GP with 24hours, but again only used that once or twice

This.

Vitality makes it bloody difficult to make a claim, so much so that I never bothered using the company private insurance when I needed it.

[NigelJK]

My wife is in a position to give a full account of most combinations. 1st Cancer & surgery at Private
Hospital 5 Days + 3 days ICU when she contracted the flu from her sister during chemo. I believe they have 2 theatres, 2 MRI scanners and have facilities for 24hr ICU. Surgeon was first rate and after care and Chemo she felt was a little isolating as it's all done in a private room as an outpatient.

2nd Cancer & surgery at NHS Hospital with specialist Breast Cancer unit. Back home 24hrs later, with plenty of care from yours truly. Chemo at the Christie she felt was more 'communal' (I thought more cattle market) same Oncologist, 1st rate care.

Recent Hip replacement done at the same private hospital under the NHS. This time she was grateful for the private room as you are very vulnerable after this op.

I paid for private health for us both between the cancers and it was expensive, with no guarantee they would accept the claim for a 'pre-condition'. In the end the Oncologist said that it was a different Cancer so they should, but that under the NHS he could put her on an experimental chemo not available else where.

[ladymuck]

Private medical value depends on age and conditions. As a young person you're unlikely to have serious medical issues but premiums are low so for peace of mind that the covers there why not. As you get older and the issues start the price of cover goes up. There's a golden time late fifties where the premiums are still affordable for the well off but the chance of claiming rises. Make a big claim and hit 60 and just as your earnings are likely to wane the cost of cover stops being affordable. My advice is have the insurance and get the heart op or whatever out of the way and then dump the insurance.

Financial Advisor once told me that if you take out a policy while young and healthy, you have fewer preconditions that get excluded so more scope for claiming as you age. This obviously means you have to maintain the cover with the same provider. It's one of the insurances that you rather get tied into I suspect

[tazdevil]

Private medical value depends on age and conditions. As a young person you're unlikely to have serious medical issues but premiums are low so for peace of mind that the covers there why not. As you get older and the issues start the price of cover goes up. There's a golden time late fifties where the premiums are still affordable for the well off but the chance of claiming rises. Make a big claim and hit 60 and just as your earnings are likely to wane the cost of cover stops being affordable. My advice is have the insurance and get the heart op or whatever out of the way and then dump the insurance.

[RyanDS]

I visited my doctor because of a right hand side groin pain. He diagnosed a hernia. He didn't seem to place any importance on my story when I told him that I'd had the pain off and on for many years after I'd had an appendectomy. He referred me to a specialist, who also confirmed I had a hernia, He advised that three months hence it would be like an egg and would continue to expand. The cost of treatment was £2000. That was 10 years ago, and no hernia appeared. I still have the pain from time to time.

I spent 10 years complaining about groin pain to the NHS doctors. Eventually used my medical insurance to see a private GP, was scanned the next day, 2 hernias.

Had a nice chat with the consultant, explained I was mid project and could I schedule the operation for a good time to avoid go live etc, so he offered me a range of dates, including in 2 days (NHS waiting list was 3 months) so I was done and out in less than 5 days from diagnoses to home after operation.

I will always keep my private medical, it's well worth it. (Also for £70 a month private medical, I get 50% gym, a free cinema ticket a week, 2 half price BA flights a year, a free starbucks coffee a week. So I pay £70 and get £120 of free stuff for it aside from the insurance, gym alone is £110 a month so £55 off a month is a no brainer.

[JohntheBike]

Good.

amongst others!

[d000hg]

Why not cut out the middleman and pay as you go.
I needed a couple of consultations with a consultant, at 250/hour so not cheap, but I was able to avoid the hassle of claiming on insurance.

I do this as needed (i.e. very occasionally) and it has worked very well. I go to BMI, they are excellent.

If you have the funds it is reasonable - a lot of people forget insurance is essentially gambling. Your private treatment has to be paid for by someone and the insurer/provider makes a profit in the long run. So on average, insurance is more expensive than paying for the services you use. But of course the numbers can get very large unless you are VERY well off.

[woohoo]

It's a professional thing as well. Surgeons like cutting people.

Yep, I believe Jack the ripper was a surgeon.

[Old Greg]

I've been to the same consultant through private health care for many years, nothing serious just nasal polyps. He is quite open about the costs and how much he makes from consultations and operations. He tends to work part time and does the operations in the morning and consultations in the afternoon. He makes far more from the operations.

Bupa have slashed the amount he can charge, so operations are where the cash is for him. That's a big incentive.

It's a professional thing as well. Surgeons like cutting people.

[woohoo]

I visited my doctor because of a right hand side groin pain. He diagnosed a hernia. He didn't seem to place any importance on my story when I told him that I'd had the pain off and on for many years after I'd had an appendectomy. He referred me to a specialist, who also confirmed I had a hernia, He advised that three months hence it would be like an egg and would continue to expand. The cost of treatment was £2000. That was 10 years ago, and no hernia appeared. I still have the pain from time to time.

I've been to the same consultant through private health care for many years, nothing serious just nasal polyps. He is quite open about the costs and how much he makes from consultations and operations. He tends to work part time and does the operations in the morning and consultations in the afternoon. He makes far more from the operations.

Bupa have slashed the amount he can charge, so operations are where the cash is for him. That's a big incentive.

[LadyPenelope]

Why not cut out the middleman and pay as you go.
I needed a couple of consultations with a consultant, at 250/hour so not cheap, but I was able to avoid the hassle of claiming on insurance.

I do this as needed (i.e. very occasionally) and it has worked very well. I go to BMI, they are excellent.

[BrilloPad]

Does the hospital have ICU beds? Otherwise I would be suspicious of calling this more than an urgent care / minor injury unit.

If you have a private hospital and things go wrong, the hospital will just cart you off to ICU in a NHS hospital.

I remember a story about a girl who has spinal surgery. The hospital had no doctor on overnight. The girl complained - was not seen until doctor came on shift. Surgeon turned white and took her straight to theatre. Was not enough to keep her out of a wheelchair for life.

Private is great for minor stuff. Anything more serious, its NHS all the way.

[Old Greg]

I visited my doctor because of a right hand side groin pain. He diagnosed a hernia. He didn't seem to place any importance on my story when I told him that I'd had the pain off and on for many years after I'd had an appendectomy. He referred me to a specialist, who also confirmed I had a hernia, He advised that three months hence it would be like an egg and would continue to expand. The cost of treatment was £2000. That was 10 years ago, and no hernia appeared. I still have the pain from time to time.

Good.

[JohntheBike]

It's been a mixed bag with private health care.

The good.
I can get to see a private GP pretty fast, but it could be any doctor.

I can usually see a consultant pretty fast and get to wait in a nice area with a coffee or tea and feel pretty relaxed.

The care is usually excellent for minor operations, you get a choice of breakfast and sandwiches. You get a nice private room.

No so good.
If it's a chronic condition depending on your level of cover you may struggle to get Bupa to pay for a visit. Never assume they will pay, call them and get an authorisation number.

Private health care provider may force you to switch to a cheaper consultant, which is annoying.

I worry about private health care incentivising doctors to make unnecessary operations.

I have excellent private health care from my wife's job and when it works well its fantastic.

I worry about private health care incentivising doctors to make unnecessary operations.

I visited my doctor because of a right hand side groin pain. He diagnosed a hernia. He didn't seem to place any importance on my story when I told him that I'd had the pain off and on for many years after I'd had an appendectomy. He referred me to a specialist, who also confirmed I had a hernia, He advised that three months hence it would be like an egg and would continue to expand. The cost of treatment was £2000. That was 10 years ago, and no hernia appeared. I still have the pain from time to time.