Private health care

[LimaDelta]

Anyone on here know if pregnancy (and the resultant birth, obviously) are treated as a pre-existing condition when taking out private medical insurance. I am looking at taking out cover for the family and as the OH is expecting our second child, we were wondering if we would be covered for this.

Also, how can we expect the antenatal procedure and birthday to compare with the NHS experience the first time round? (Not good for the record)

[LimaDelta]

Never mind, found the small print and it isn't covered.

Anyone know a rough cost for having a baby in a private hospital?

[Animal]

£5-7k-ish.

[numtumfutunch]

Wondering what the premium is for giving birth in a hospital with no resident obstetrician, anaesthetist, paediatrician, neonatal intensivist, blood bank technician, etc etc etc

[littlegreenfairy]

Out of interest, does anyone know of a health insurance that would cover pregnancy?

Looking on The Portland's website they mention insurance covering pre and post natal care but I can't find such a policy,

[Tiggsy]

our local NHS hospital had a "private room" facility....you paid extra and got an en-suite room. As good as BUPA for £60 a day. Had 4 kids that way.....worth seeing if your local does the same.

[ClaphamGT3]

Although interestingly, at Guys & St Thomas' the NHS individual rooms in the natural birthing suite are just as nice as the private rooms but with better views (both of ours were born in rooms overlooking the Houses of parliament.)

If you need/want surgical intervention however, you can't use them and get chucked onto a fairly minging Nightingale ward post birth, so we booked a private room each time in case we needed it.

The poster above is right; my mother is a retired doctor and has always counselled against giving birth in hospitals that don't have a neonatal ITU and 24/7 on-site obstetric care.