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What are your experiences with private healthcare?

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    #21
    Originally posted by woohoo View Post
    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.

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      #22
      Originally posted by Old Greg View Post
      It's a professional thing as well. Surgeons like cutting people.
      Yep, I believe Jack the ripper was a surgeon.

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        #23
        Originally posted by GJABS View Post
        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.
        Originally posted by LadyPenelope View Post
        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.
        Originally posted by MaryPoppins
        I'd still not breastfeed a nazi
        Originally posted by vetran
        Urine is quite nourishing

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          #24
          Originally posted by Old Greg View Post
          Good.
          amongst others!

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            #25
            Originally posted by JohntheBike View Post
            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.

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              #26
              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.

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                #27
                Originally posted by tazdevil View Post
                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

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                  #28
                  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.

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                    #29
                    Originally posted by filthy1980 View Post
                    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.
                    "I can put any old tat in my sig, put quotes around it and attribute to someone of whom I've heard, to make it sound true."
                    - Voltaire/Benjamin Franklin/Anne Frank...

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                      #30
                      Originally posted by cojak View Post
                      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.

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