Bud the Wiser

Anyone any experience of private health care in the UK? Without the private health care infrastructure of countries, such as the US, which has evolved as a primarily private service over the years, I find it hard to fathom how the private health care system would function in the UK.

What are their resources and ease of access, from rural areas in particular?

Co-pays, deductibles, pre-existing conditions etc.

Cost, in comparison to other private health care systems in other countries?

Service/quality in comparison to other private health care systems in other countries?

Thanks.

mikelincs

Have a look here..

Compare Health Insurance Quotes | Compare The Market

Compare Health insurance plans & prices - Confused.com

Health Insurance: A Money Saving Expert guide for cheap insurance

should be something there.. all it took was a search on google..
Many NHS hospitals also have a private wing, where these companies can send patients, also organistions like BUPA do have their own hospitals.

Bud the Wiser

Many thanks Mike, useful links.

I was also wondering if anyone had any practical experience of the private health care system in the UK.

old.sparkles

Had private health care in UK courtesy of work, so no policy excesses, nothing to pay etc. Didn't use them when young spark had peritonitis, but they paid us as his stay was NHS which was good as covered time off work, parking, etc and got him something to keep him happy while recovering.

Did use them for an investigation for myself. Called and got Dr's in area, then got appt and GP referral letter in matter of days. There's a Spire hospital in the area (did a couple of day stays there), a private ward at the NHS hospital and had to make a couple of trips to Harley Street (only one overnight). Great after care - no issues as lots of info at every stage. Initially was with Pru-Health and moved over to AXA in middle without problems but would guess that work was paying hefty premiums for the services.

cyrian

Where are you going to be living?
London is well covered for private healthcare for wealthy foreign visitors or residents. Harley Street is full of private doctors.
Elsewhere would perhaps he patchy.
I think that there are 2 perhaps 3 private hospitals for the whole of Scotland.
Private GPs - well I just haven't come across many at all.
As has been said, you can use NHS facilities and pay for them and perhaps a GP will arrange to see you privately.
They can issue private prescriptions and you just pay for them at the pharmacy and reclaim the costs.

Dashie

I was covered under my parents' Bupa policy through work as a teen, saw a specialist and had knee surgery. I then had an almost identical surgery a few years later on the NHS. For me, the wait was shorter on the NHS, while the room service and private room (complete with tv and ashtray), were better private.

theOAP

We're retired, but have private health care since it is offered by the spouses past employer to retirees. Not being an employee means we pay £1,200/year. It's a 'top of the range' policy. For each year, we also pay the first £1,000 of medical/hospital bills. After that, the insurance covers all costs.

I suspect you would like an actual, recent example. Short story made long:
In June of this year, I developed a shoulder problem. Went to the GP. Thorough exam, but no diagnosis. Normal practice on the NHS is to give a steroid injection, wait 2 weeks, if no improvement, have an ultrasound scan. The wait time at the local NHS hospital for a scan is 2 weeks. Problem: if the muscle has detached from the bone, it needs fairly immediate treatment (operation) otherwise it becomes a permanent injury. Only the ultrasound scan can provide an accurate diagnosis.

My question to the GP, "can I go straight for a scan, privately"

I had the scan the next day at the private hospital. Another thorough exam, the scan, and a complete (well explained) diagnosis. Temporary problem, no injection or operation required. It's now 99% back to normal.

Cost for scan - £320. You can do the conversions for a local currency to compare costs.

spouse of scouse

Have looked into this a fair bit, Bud - without a great deal of success. From what I can gather, private health insurance in the UK only supplements the NHS, it doesn't replace it (I'm talking about people who are eligible for NHS and choose to also have private cover).

As has been mentioned, it may get you into hospital faster, or enable you to jump the NHS queue for investigations etc by going through your private insurance - but I think in most cases you still need to initially present at a GP which almost all seem to be NHS.

I think if you wanted health cover that absolutely disregarded the NHS - ie everything fully private - then depending where you lived you may struggle to find a private GP, and maybe even a private hospital, and I also think it would be hideously expensive.

I'll let you know if I come across any more info, would appreciate the same

cyrian

+1
If you are non-EU but are working in the UK (and paying National Insurance) then you should be eligible for the NHS.
If you are an EU citizen and RESIDENT in the UK then you are covered by the NHS.
As Sp of Sc says you can access the NHS for the bits that you want e.g. prescriptions but can use private cover to access the private sector.
You do not NEED to access private treatment through your GP but that is the usual procedure.
The GP would give you a referral letter to the private hospital similar to the letter to an NHS hospital.

Bud the Wiser

Thanks for the replies everyone. Some food for thought there.

Not committed to an area as yet, but giving some serious thought to just east of Plymouth over the border into Cornwall, Looe area etc.

formula

I can't answer all of that but we have used private healthcare in rural areas and in London.


Private you get to choose the day and don't have to wait long for an appointment; NHS you get what you are given.

Private you get to see the consultantant; NHS you often get one of their registrars.

Private appointments are on time; NHS will often double or triple book appointments and you can be waiting ages.

Waiting rooms in private hospitals offer things like freshly squeezed orange juice and fresh coffee. NHS have refreshement machines.

Private operations are either carried out in private hospitals, or NHS hospitals where you get a private room and private aftercare, private menu etc. NHS operations mean you are on a ward with several other people. There are some private rooms but private patients get first dibs on those and even if they are empty, they don't have to let NHS patients use those private rooms.

Private operations aren't usually cancelled; NHS operations can be cancelled a few times, for a variety of reasons.

NHS consultants often supplement their work by doing private work. You then either see them at the NHS hospital, a private hospital or at their own home (which is what happened to us once in a rural location).

We have paid privately for consultations and for operations that had long NHS queues and didn't find the costs that bad.

We have also used private care through work, where they cover employees and their families with BUPA. In these cases, we have needed a referral first from a doctor (GP surgery, GPs at a minor injury unit in a hospitals or A&E doctors).

GPs will do private appointments.

You would need to look at the policies to see what is covered and what involves extra charges. Just because you have private insurance, it doesn't mean you have to use it everytime and you can mix with the NHS (if you are allowed to use the NHS for free).

spouse of scouse

Bud, an interesting Wiki extract.

Private health care has continued parallel to the NHS, paid for largely by private insurance, but it is used by less than 8% of the population, and generally as a top-up to NHS services. There are many treatments that the private sector does not provide. For example, health insurance on pregnancy is generally not covered or covered with restricting clauses. Typical exclusions for Bupa schemes (and many other insurers) include:


ageing, menopause and puberty; AIDS/HIV; allergies or allergic disorders; birth control, conception, sexual problems and sex changes; chronic conditions; complications from excluded or restricted conditions/ treatment; convalescence, rehabilitation and general nursing care ; cosmetic, reconstructive or weight loss treatment; deafness; dental/oral treatment (such as fillings, gum disease, jaw shrinkage, etc); dialysis; drugs and dressings for out-patient or take-home use† ; experimental drugs and treatment; eyesight; HRT and bone densitometry; learning difficulties, behavioural and developmental problems; overseas treatment and repatriation; physical aids and devices; pre-existing or special conditions; pregnancy and childbirth; screening and preventive treatment; sleep problems and disorders; speech disorders; temporary relief of symptoms.[43] († = except in exceptional circumstances)

Health insurance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tirytory

I think the only caveat I would give with that is that if something goes wrong at a private hospital op then they are generally not prepared for that. Certainly our local private hospital has to bluelight private pts to the good old nhs when an emergency arises ie something goes wrong in surgery. Also from just my limited experience, the nhs endoscopy equipment was by far the more superior equipment with properly trained nurses etc than the private sector. We know because we would often have private nurses down to try and update underused skill set. Private healthcare is there to make money after all, I know from what the consultants say that the savings are made in equipment and nurses who know what they're doing. Like I said one experience from one department.

formula

There must be insurers that offer complete cover now because some EEA citizens and their dependants have to buy these CSI policies when they live in the UK, if they are not allowed to use the NHS for free. Some will use their own countries EHIC, but not everyone can get these. They have to produce that evidence when they apply for Permanent Residence in the UK, or they are refused PR.

spouse of scouse

I'm sure there are insurers that offer fully comprehensive private health cover for a specific subset of people of people who are unable to access any free NHS health services at all - although I thought that everyone could access A&E? I'd hate to see the cost of such a policy (one that is entirely independent of the NHS, if such an animal exists!)

The OP isn't in that subset of people - he's trying to get his head around how private insurance meshes (or doesn't) with the NHS - which pays what etc. It can be difficult for a non-Brit to work out, as the NHS is a unique health system.