Private health insurance

[Ed]

I'm forever getting calls from sales reps trying to sell me this. Latest is marketing stuff from BUPA. Seems that to cover my small team for regional hospitals - specifically excluding London - would cost about £175 a month.

Just wondering about peoples' experience of all this. Seems to me that the NHS these days is a lot better than it used to be and I'm not sure that BUPA etc is worth the money.

Views?

[lily]

The Company i work for use Groupama as our private health provider..... never had any complaints from the any staff that have had to use them and the policies aren't that expenses either.

Not had any experience of them myself as i'm not important enough to get private health.... if i want it i have to pay!

[keithd]

i guess its one of those things that are handy when needed but seem expensive when not used. if that makes sense

i've had private healthcare for about 10 years and in that time i've

fallen over drunk and knackered my ankle ligaments, rehabilitation/physio paid for my healthcare

had exploratory camera chucked down my throat to discover cause of sickness, turns out i have a hiatus hernia. had a bout 8 or 9 consultations

whilst walking to a cash point i tripped over a tree stump in the shopping precinct that wasnt cordoned off properly nor cut down properly, my cartilidge flipped up and trapped between my lower and upper leg meaning i couldnt straighten leg. had an operation 5 days later, follow up physio.

all paid for and done quickly. if i was NHS i'd have been off work for weeks and weeks. my guvnor reckons its money well spent from that POV

[G]

If you have the money, then its worth every penny.

Everyone I know is covered for private health care (As a work perk). A couple of them have made use of it aswell.

Our nearest private BUPA hospital is The Park Hospital, Nottingham.

An example....My work colleague had a back problem.

Had plenty of consultations and investigative work done, turns out that scar bone from when he broke his back was restricting his spinal cord and nerves.

From them finding this out, they had flown in the best spinal surgeon in the world and he was in on the table within 2 weeks. They removed a couple of vertabre and hes now 1 inch shorter and in no pain at all.

The NHS wouldnt have even done the surgery because of cost. They probably wouldnt have discovered the problem and even if they had it would have been months of consultation and then months in pain on a waiting list as a non essestial surgical procedure.

How is this known....the surgeon is also a consultant for the NHS.

Its worth mentioning that while he spent a further 23 days in hospital, Private room, visitor could come and go as they please, the menu of freshly prepared NICE food was different every night, and a waiter would come around asking if he would like drinks from the bar. Service you dont get from the NHS.

If you can afford it then do it.

[lily]

i guess its one of those things that are handy when needed but seem expensive when not used. if that makes sense

i've had private healthcare for about 10 years and in that time i've

fallen over drunk and knackered my ankle ligaments, rehabilitation/physio paid for my healthcare

had exploratory camera chucked down my throat to discover cause of sickness, turns out i have a hiatus hernia. had a bout 8 or 9 consultations

whilst walking to a cash point i tripped over a tree stump in the shopping precinct that wasnt cordoned off properly nor cut down properly, my cartilidge flipped up and trapped between my lower and upper leg meaning i couldnt straighten leg. had an operation 5 days later, follow up physio.

all paid for and done quickly. if i was NHS i'd have been off work for weeks and weeks. my guvnor reckons its money well spent from that POV

You got your money's worth then! ;):D

[SV-net]

We have a complany plan by Prime Health provided by Standard Life Healthcare its very good.
Good thing is we only pay the tax on the premium so its very attractive for the employee.

[keithd]

You got your money's worth then! ;):D

oh yes!! there's another one too but im jiggered if i can remember it!!:cool:

[MR UKI (1)]

We have a complany plan by Prime Health provided by Standard Life Healthcare its very good.
Good thing is we only pay the tax on the premium so its very attractive for the employee.

+1 we have Bupa through work this way and hardly notice the cost in my salary. Never had to use it myself yet, but a couple of colleagues have and the care, speed etc was excellent.

[anna]

I think privite health insurance just gurantees that you are speedily seen and dealbt with.. as for the level of care provided actually i'm not sure that it's any different as (I'm sure someone will correct me if i'm wrong) but most priviate specialists are in fact also working for the NHS ??

Saying this as a newly self employed person i'm also considering such a package with BUPA as the cost of me not being able to work is very high and getting seen to ASAP is a primary concern.

[Viney]

I have it through work. I used it after my bike accident for physio. however, due to over use by the company, they have now introduced a £100 excess per year if used. So, mines just going to cost me my tax for a while.

[keithd]

i think the tax is £490 odd quid a year.....

[shonadoll]

Worth every penny. OH gets the family covered trhough work, so he's not off if we are ill. From a companies perspective, it makes sense for that alone.

I'd avoid NHS like the plague after having back surgery, cruciate reconstruction on BUPa, world of difference. Staff a lot more motivated and happier too.
The NHS screwed up my back cos they wouldn't do an MRi so I was treated for a year for a pulled ligament. When I finally gave up my morals abt going private, I had a prolapsed disc and nerve damage. Op done within a week, will all the perks.