Private Health Insurance

[wizer]

No, not for me.

Spent 9 hours with daughter in an NHS hospital yesterday for a 20min procedure. It was just to snip her tongue, nothing serious. But both missus and I vowed to at least get her insured so we never have to take her to an NHS hospital again. It was the pitts. God forbid she had to go through anything more serious, I really felt for some of the kids in there.

So any reccomendations or advice? Should I be wary of any of the big companies?


TIA

 

[RogerS]

Wizer - don't condemn the NHS out of hand based on just this experience. Hospitals are like any other part of our society - some good and some bad. It also depends a lot on the time of day and day of the week as to how you fare in A&E as they have to spend a lot of time with vermin - sorry, drunks, violent patients, drug addicts and similar scum.

My own experience following a couple of gliding accidents was Cheltenham General - superb. Redditch - never to be repeated. But then Cheltenham was on a Sunday afternoon and Redditch was late on Saturday. Fellow patients (what few there were) in Cheltenham - quiet and decent folks. Redditch - police bringing in a violent drug addict who proceeded to knock the top off an oxygen cylinder and had to be restrained with mace or similar while I frantically tried to remember the chemical reaction between 100% oxygen and mace and if I could climb out of the window ahead of the fireball.

 

[Waka]

Sorry to hear about your bad service but one bad experience doesn't make the whole system bad.

I have to say whenever I've needed them they have come through trumps.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Yes, just like anything, it depends on the people and the resources they are given.

I have a friend who is now quite disabled because of an NHS cockup. She won't sue because she is a nurse herself.

On the other hand, my own experience has been excellent. I'd be blind or dead by now if it were not for the skill of NHS staff.

S

 

[wizer]

Thanks guys, I didn't mean this to be a pop at the NHS. Tho, my own experiences of the NHS have been terrible. I honestly think I've been treated wrongly. However, when I routed my finger, they were brilliant. It's a lottery.

I just see this as something I have to do for my daughter. I was foolish not to take out insurance for myself and I don't want the guilt of not taking it out for her.

 

[RogerS]

The question you need to ask yourself is this IMO.

Is it for emergency treatment (in which case the NHS is the best place) or for some other illness that would take a long time to get resolved under the NHS (in which case private perhaps makes sense).

 

[StevieB]

Interesting question. You have several choices when it comes to healthcare:

NHS all the way
Private all the way
NHS but for specific ailments/operations go private where you require it

Things to consider are that for A+E type emergencies you are always going to be an NHS patient. Bupa do not run that type of service. Private healthcare is for the more long term ailment or planned medical treatment such as an operation. In your case the same operation on your daughters tongue could have been done privately. You would have gone to a different location, with a specified time and been seen on time. However you would probably have been seen by the same doctor. Private insurance doesnt necessarily mean better healthcare, but it does get you a nicer service with better consultation times, and a nicer environment if you do need anything doing.

As to whether you want continual cover or to pay for each operation as it arises is up to you, and is largely a cost issue. You could have paid a monthly subscription since your daughter was born and got it as part of that, or you could have paid a one off fee for that operation. Like with anything spreading the cost is cheaper in the here and now, but over the long term more expensive - its insurance. What it gives you is peace of mind that if you are diagnosed with something tomorrow you can see a specialist within a week privately rather than wait 3 months for an NHS appointment. If you never get ill then you might consider it an expense you could do without for the time being.

If money is no object then by all means go for it, so long as you recognise up front that you are not paying for better healthcare, just faster healthcare in a nicer environment. Thats not to belittle NHS staff or practices, I work in a hospital and it would make you weep to see some of the dedication that nurses and staff put into their job despite the rewards they get in pay. They can only work with the resources they are given however, and with an open door policy to treat everyone there will inevitably be waits, delays and horror stories.

Steve.

 

[wizer]

I certainly don't blame the staff. These are a special kind of people, who can deal with so many different types of people of all ages with all sorts of ailments, with a smile on their face. But often the system, or sheer amount of patients, lets them down.

I understand what your saying about a quicker, more efficient service. That's what I desire. You can quite imagine what a 15month old baby was like when put on a ward of children and made to wait for 9hours. Out of her comfort zone, she could not sleep and became incredibly irritable. Not to mention mum and dad!

It seem, like all insurance, this is a bit of a mine field and lots of fine print reading is needed. I will go through the larger companies. It's now clear that I can't just get cover for her. So I'll probably go for mum and her, as insurance for me would be a little pointless.

 

[woodbloke]

From the little experience I've had with the NHS hospital here in Salisbury, I've found them fantastic. I did go for a job interview there once severial years ago in A&E and had a chat with a senior nurse about what the post entailed. The main point of his reply was that I had to deal with all sorts of 'bodily fluids' and in addition I was expected to take and pass a professional qualification that was at 'A' level standard if memory serves. The worst thing though, was seeing the sheer stress on the faces of the staff...not for me - Rob

 

[the_g_ster]

You need to remember what you are paying for.

Private

As already mentioned, this can help with scheduled work and sometimes even the unforeseen too. Trauma treatment won't go through private, knock on effects may do, which can help.

Private in NHS

It is also worth noting the private is done to a cost case, and subject to some constraints. If for example the unforeseen happens in a small private hospital and you need intensive care, there may not be the facilities. A move down a corridor from an NHS hosipital ward to another is life saving compared to a blue light 10 miles away to that hospital.

Many times private may get you faster, and a better choice of consultant. But alot still goes on in NHS facilities sometimes, so you need to look carefully at what you want out of it.

 

[filsgreen]

From the little experience I've had with the NHS hospital here in Salisbury, I've found them fantastic. I did go for a job interview there once severial years ago in A&E and had a chat with a senior nurse about what the post entailed. The main point of his reply was that I had to deal with all sorts of 'bodily fluids' and in addition I was expected to take and pass a professional qualification that was at 'A' level standard if memory serves. The worst thing though, was seeing the sheer stress on the faces of the staff...not for me - Rob

Woodbloke, the standard education for a nurse is a diploma in health, which consists of three years training 50% theory and 50% practical. However there are some that want all nurses to be degree graduates.

Tom, while I sympathise with you, we should all count ourselves lucky that we have the NHS. Nine hours must have been horrendous for you, but I think the alternative of making your daughter an inpatient would have been worse.

It is fortunate that many can afford to use private health care as it does alleviate some of the overwhelming pressure that the NHS is under. I don't think that the Government in 1947 ever envisaged the amount of treatment that it provides today. Or come to that the expenditure, £90 billion. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/AnnualReports/Browsable/DH_4931497

I must stress I'm not having a go at you, but sometimes I think we are all guilty of taking our free health care for granted.

Phil

 

[wizer]

It is fortunate that many can afford to use private health care as it does alleviate some of the overwhelming pressure that the NHS is under.

I see this as my duty to my daughter. If I can afford it, she gets it.

I did say that I wasn't actually having a pop at the NHS, I am sure there are many reasons why my experience of it has been negative. Of course it's a great idea. But let's not forget that I do donate part of my wages to support it. It's not completely (or at all?) funded by the government.

 

[filsgreen]

I see this as my duty to my daughter. If I can afford it, she gets it.

Nothing more needs to be said.

 

[Saintsman]

Wizer,

I know what you mean.

Recently, SWMBO broke her leg, and, like many others, I would never knock the NHS staff, the great majority of whom work incredibly hard under often trying circumstances.

However, we're with AXA PPP, and the difference is remarkable: as others have said, the treatment is not necessarily any better, just MUCH faster and in a nicer environment. Also, insted of a hurried couple of minutes with the consultant, you get as long as you like (in our case, with the same consultant). The insurance ain't cheap, bit IMHO, worth every penny for the well-being of, in my case, SWMBO or, in your case, your daughter.

HTH,

Paul

 

[GrahamH]

I actually work for one of the private health insurance companies, whilst my wife works in the NHS so I get to see it from both sides.

As most people have said, if its urgent/A&E then you can't beat the NHS. For other stuff, because of the greater resources available, the private sector works well. Though if everybody decided to go private it would end up with all of the problems of the NHS.

If your daughter's already got a pre-existing condition you'll probably find it's excluded or they will load the policy, it all depends on the underwriting. If it was a one off treatment, and not needing any further treatment then moratorium underwriting would cover this after a couple of years of being clear.

Also look at what else is offered as part of the policy, one I know supplies a 24 hour line to a GP for any sort of medical questions and an online medical service where you plug in your symptoms and it tells you what you've got. Also most have specialist oncology/cancer teams that fast track you if you need treatment.

The association of British insurers have a pdf about buying PMI cover at http://www.abi.org.uk/Display/File/Chil ... I_2005.pdf I'd recommend you read this before doing anything.

 

[wizer]

Graham, thanks for this. Daughter does not have any existing conditions, which is another reason I want to start cover early. I have lots of existing conditions and I think it'd be expensive and worthless to cover me at this point.

Anyway, I'll check out that document. Should be good bedtime reading while the missus goes off on her hen do :roll: :wink:

 

[devonwoody]

BTW have private medication ever come unstuck, or do all private patients live for ever; and they never suffer from a dissatisfied visits?

There are also some very objectionable wealthy people around when drunk and on drugs, I wouldnt want to be around.

 

[BradNaylor]

I tend to view health insurance in the same way that I view all insurance.

Insurance companies are very sophisticated bookmakers who calculate precisely the chances of you making a claim, and set the premium accordingly allowing them to cover their overheads and make a nice profit.

In other words, the odds are always with the insurer.

In all probability it is much cheaper to set aside an equivelent monthly sum in a deposit account or savings plan. The chances are that you will never need to use a private hospital; but if you do there will be money there to pay for it. If there is not enough, taking out a loan will still often be cheaper than having paid the insurance premiums for years with no benefit.

When my dentist went totally private a few years ago he talked me into an insurance plan at £20 per month. I jacked it in after a few months and didn't see a dentist for years.

I went to a different one six months ago and needed some treatment. Total cost was £110. A lot cheaper than several years at £20 per month!

Of course, if one comes down with a serious medical condition then one might be glad of having paid the insurance premiums. As the insurance company knows full well however, it is unlikely to happen!

Otherwise, they wouldn't insure you.

Cheers
Dan

 

[wizer]

I don't disagree with you Dan. I view insurance in the same way. But I still take out contents insurance on my house, who wouldn't? What's more precious than your daughter's health? Your savings account idea is an interesting concept which I will look into. I need to think about what level of cover we would like. Part of me wants everything above GP level to be private. But I understand that is costly.

 

[matt]

I've not read the entire post but my view on the subject is based on my father's experience of using both. He fought cancer for about 10 years. Fortunate enough to be in good health and enjoying life in between operations but for about half of the six operations he had in that period he had private health cover from work. He was operated on in The London Clinic in Harley St. Nice room but, in his words, very poor nursing experience. He was operated on by the same surgeon as operated on him throughout (i.e. the same as in the NHS hospital when he did not have private cover). His take on it... He preferred NHS.