Health insurance... Worth it, or...

[WhereamI]

otherman said:

I have health insurance for a long time and had to use it three times. Its fabulous when you need it.
Private. Make appointment with consultant, see him in person a few days later. Schedule tests for the next couple of days, see consultant again, get operation date days away, follow up care, all with the same consultant who now you have a personal relationship with.
NHS. See a random registrar after a 4 month wait. When you do spend half the day waiting to be seen. He says make another appointment to review in 6 months. See a different random registrar who treats you like a brand new case. Repeat.

Being pedantic but that's common to all private health care regardless of whether it is paid for by insurance.

[Pugsey]

WhereamI said:

Pugsey said:

WhereamI said:

You will also find that if you are paying yourself the prices can be less than you see being bandied around when insurance is involved. My wife had a major operation in the private wing of an NHS hospital that cost us less than half the amount her insurance company was charged a few years earlier for roughly the same operation.

I have found the opposite. My MRI scan was quoted at £1100 to a self funding individual - I checked as having no idea what they cost I thought it may be worth me 'doing a deal' and paying myself rather than going with BUPA and paying excess. BUPA got it for £750. Similarly my Transperineal biopsies cost BUPA far less than the quote to a self funding individual. I suspect a big private health insurance company carries a lot of clout. Why would they be happy to pay MORE than a private individual would?

Our experience (and it's only one experience, so not a great sample) was that initially she had insurance and they seemed to be billed for everything including, for example, an extra day because she wasn't given the all clear to go home until 12.30 and the cutoff time was 12.00. When she needed to go in again I negotiated a fixed price for the op and the stay that came to less than the insurance company paid first time round despite it being a more major op with a longer stay. I did a similar thing with my Father and an op he needed to have. Maybe it's just that one provider or maybe it's my advanced negotiating skills

Good going - very probably your advanced negotiating skills as you suggest. . Which rather goes to my reason for having my BUPA cover. Given my diagnosis and prospects of grotty treatment over coming months I actually have no interest in chasing around negotiating with anyone. I just want to go straight to the very best, fast and in 'comfort' (if there is such a thing when you're ill!). As long as that all happens via BUPA (and so far it has) I don't really care what the various things cost and consider my premiums to have been money well spent.

[otherman]

WhereamI said:

Being pedantic but that's common to all private health care regardless of whether it is paid for by insurance.

Well, of course. I was assuming that most people who use private health access through insurance rather than direct payment.

[WhereamI]

In 1987 I changed job to one that didn't include health insurance. I wasnt sure that I could afford it so started putting £50 a month into another account. When I got married in 1988 I increased it to £100 a month and it has stayed there ever since.

In the intervening 25 years we've paid out just under £7,500 for treatments including a fairly major operation for my wife. Currently the 'pot' stands at £43,324 because obviously as well as the contributions it's been earning interest for 25 years.

That's why I advocate not paying for health insurance but self financing.

[Phil.]

swerni said:

But it's the wait and the after care where the difference is.

You can choose to pay for those bits privately and have the NHS fund the expensive bit in the middle or just fund it all privately rather than paying for insurance.

[Phil.]

WhereamI said:

That's why I advocate not paying for health insurance but self financing.

Well done that man. I know a retired bank manager who is 70 who did the same and is in a similar financial position. I intend to do similarly.

[Pugsey]

WhereamI said:

In 1987 I changed job to one that didn't include health insurance. I wasnt sure that I could afford it so started putting £50 a month into another account. When I got married in 1988 I increased it to £100 a month and it has stayed there ever since.

In the intervening 25 years we've paid out just under £7,500 for treatments including a fairly major operation for my wife. Currently the 'pot' stands at £43,324 because obviously as well as the contributions it's been earning interest for 25 years.

That's why I advocate not paying for health insurance but self financing.

Shows great discipline and foresight. Impressive. Well done

Wouldn't have helped if you (or wife) had needed expensive treatment in (say) 1990 though. People - not saying you - often make the mistake of thinking they won't get ill or need treatment until "sometime way off in the future". Often not true sadly. And, £43k could disappear in the blink of an eye if serious on going illness strikes.