# Private Health Insurance



## Maxx? (Aug 1, 2007)

Hello!

I have not been on here in a very long time. Glad to be back, it's easy to forget some of the magic you all produce with your work :buffer::thumb:

I am 25 and my girlfriend is 26, we have decided to purchase private health insurance due to friends going through various illnesses and severe accidents. We are looking for better long-term care and the peace of mind of less waiting time.

We decided to go for a full comprehensive package with Bupa, we still have around a week to cancel it and change provider. We are covered for literally every option and it comes in at roughly £160 per month for both of us.

It is a very important issue and I am sure many of you will have experiences and advice when it comes to this stuff. I am sure it would be smart to get everyones personal experiences and thoughts on the different providers.

Thanks for taking a look and hopefully this becomes a thread we can all benefit from! :thumb:


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

I get Bupa through my work and they've been slick and professional when I've had to use them, although never for anything serious. 

A few other guys have used them for various other operations and have been seen to very fast. 18 months on the NHS was a week on Bupa. 

For worst case scenario and urgent care, the NHS doesn't do too badly.


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## baxlin (Oct 8, 2007)

FWIW, for years we had the 'budget' version from PPP, which meant that if the NHSwaiting list was more than 6 weeks, PPP cover would chime in. Otherwise we went NHS. But if we went NHS, there was a cash sum paid for each night in hospital. It worked very well, and I had Gall bladder surgery, as did my daughter, kidney stones, etc all done privately.

But about 6 years ago, when the premium went above £300 a month, and they stopped covering our daughters as they had moved out, I stopped it, and set up a flexible regular savings through my IFA, for £300 a month, earmarked for medical expenses. OK, we've been fortunate enough not to need anything doing that the NHS couldn't do quickly, but the savings plan is now worth over £26,000.


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## m4rkymark (Aug 17, 2014)

It's good for things when you need it done quickly like an MRI scan or routine surgeries like gall bladder removal or whatever however it's the same people who treat you privately as work in the NHS. When I used mine a while back it was the same person who seen me privately as did in the NHS, he just came along to the private hospital after he finished work in the NHS hospital. Where i live there is no paediatric cover, you need to use the NHS, you could go to somewhere 70miles away if you wanted to though. There is also a shortage of some of the other specialties e.g. I wanted to see an endocrinologist but the nearest one to me was 200 miles away - I could travel if I wanted but they wouldn't cover the cost of travel.

I know someone who went to have their eyes done in the private hospital and he took a funny turn when they froze his eyes and the first thing they done was call an ambulance and took him to the local NHS hospital to have him dealt with there. I don't think they are fully equipped to deal with a lot of things and will rely on the NHS if things get out of hand.


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## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

As @Kerr said above, the NHS really is hard to beat when treating a serious illness. We have private cover, but only for the more routine stuff. 

Cooks


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## TonyH38 (Apr 7, 2013)

I took out health insurance paid it for twenty odd years never claimed on it, i then reached the age to retire the insurance increased the premium so much I could not afford on my pension so had to cancel. Put the money in a health account.


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## Tricky Red (Mar 3, 2007)

I have Bupa with work that costs me around £300 a year. I had an operation on my toe that NHS said could be a waiting list for 3 months. I was in and out in 4 days privately. 

NHS still cannot be beaten for emergency cases though. My wife was admitted with a gallstone last year and they were excellent. 

I tend to feel that PMI works best if you have ongoing issues that require quick treatment.


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## Simon0014 (Oct 23, 2012)

I agree with the above, I too have Bupa through work and only have to pay tax as a benefit in kind so its pretty cheap. My own experience and the people I've spoken to at work all share the same opinion that if you need an operation private is brilliant to be seen and treated quickly. 

In an emergency I would go to A & E then swap to private if required.


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## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

Yep bupa here too, we have a slightly higher excess which brings down the monthly cost I.e £200 but you only pay it on first treatment , so after this if anything in that year needs attention no more excess even if not related to first treatment


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## RP84 (Sep 3, 2007)

When you have private care and you have an issue with your health..

Instead of booking an appointment with the doctors do you go straight to a private doctor?

Or do you still go local doctors and then be referred to private health for treatment instead of going to a nhs hospital?

sorry not sure how it works


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## cossiecol (Jun 29, 2014)

I personally wouldn't bother. As my wife (who's a doctor) points out it only gets you faster access to NHS trained doctors.

On a more somber note I lost one of my closest friends almost 7 years ago to the day, he had all the top level private health insurance (Buoa) you could get and they couldn't find what was wrong with him before he passed 6 months later.


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## Rob_Quads (Jul 17, 2006)

cossiecol said:


> I personally wouldn't bother. As my wife (who's a doctor) points out it only gets you faster access to NHS trained doctors.
> 
> On a more somber note I lost one of my closest friends almost 7 years ago to the day, he had all the top level private health insurance (Buoa) you could get and they couldn't find what was wrong with him before he passed 6 months later.


While it didn't help your friend - time can be everything, specially where cancer is concerned. A colleagues back was getting worse and worse (almost to the point of not being able to drive into work) NHS was going to be 2-3 month wait to see a specialist. Private meant in less than that time he had had scans/ opp and half way through recovery before he would have even seen someone (may well have been sped up if he ended up going to A&E which could have happened the rate it was getting worse)


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

Kerr said:


> I get Bupa through my work and they've been slick and professional when I've had to use them, although never for anything serious.
> 
> A few other guys have used them for various other operations and have been seen to very fast. 18 months on the NHS was a week on Bupa.
> 
> For worst case scenario and urgent care, the NHS doesn't do too badly.


Ditto I get BUPA through work and it's worth its weight in gold!

I have had. I for years and only had to use it for the first time when we had our little boy and the Mrs had some "issues" and three got her sorted and back to normal within three months. If we had waited for the nhs I think she would still be suffering to this day. (Before anyone accuses me of bashing the nhs the wife actually works for the nhs!)Nashe got to see top private Drs and specialists not nhs doctors


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