Are Private Health Policies worth it?
Discussion
Hi all
I have BUPA cover for my wife and I. Had it for years. Im a self employed contractor so pay out of my own pocket / not a company scheme. Ive never truly used it but being in my mid 50s the chance of using it obviously increases but so does the cost. Im paying just under £3.5K a year for us both, with £500 excess.
Recently Ive had a relative go through cancer and saw how good the NHS is. Due to costs of Bupa Ive always seen it as a cancer policy as every other ilnness or issues seems to have so many restrictions / excesses in the policy. However wittnessing how good the NHS is it now worth while ?
Cost of living, kids, etc has meant Ive had to look at all bills and this one has now risen to the top so Im questioning its use. I know I can raise my excess to £1K which pretty much rules out so many of its services as for £1K I can book appointments with consultants and pay under £1k.
If I was 25 I would cancel, but I suppose being mid 50s Im worried that im at the age where I need it.
Keen to listen to other pistionhead member who have similar and are having the same thoughts.
I have BUPA cover for my wife and I. Had it for years. Im a self employed contractor so pay out of my own pocket / not a company scheme. Ive never truly used it but being in my mid 50s the chance of using it obviously increases but so does the cost. Im paying just under £3.5K a year for us both, with £500 excess.
Recently Ive had a relative go through cancer and saw how good the NHS is. Due to costs of Bupa Ive always seen it as a cancer policy as every other ilnness or issues seems to have so many restrictions / excesses in the policy. However wittnessing how good the NHS is it now worth while ?
Cost of living, kids, etc has meant Ive had to look at all bills and this one has now risen to the top so Im questioning its use. I know I can raise my excess to £1K which pretty much rules out so many of its services as for £1K I can book appointments with consultants and pay under £1k.
If I was 25 I would cancel, but I suppose being mid 50s Im worried that im at the age where I need it.
Keen to listen to other pistionhead member who have similar and are having the same thoughts.
You might have seen an example of good treatment on the NHS but there are numerous other areas where you won't get such prompt treatment & it's for those cases where health insurance can get you out of pain & back to work in weeks or months not years. Just look at how GPs are limiting appointments & access to consultants & it's not going to get better. I'd look at increasing your excess before giving it up completely.
I have a private BUPA policy through work, and I have used it a few times over the last few years. The most recent occasion it was 2 weeks from a consultation with a physio, to an MRI scan, to a review and then Steroid injection, which seemed very quick to me. Whether you'd have had the same time frame on the NHS I'm not sure?
I don't pay for it personally as it's through my employer, but would I pay for it otherwise? Probably not.
Depends how sickly you are
ETA: The big benefit for me is the digital GP. I can get a video appointment with a GP within the next hour, 7 days a week. No hanging around on the phone in the hope of an appointment within the next week.
I don't pay for it personally as it's through my employer, but would I pay for it otherwise? Probably not.
Depends how sickly you are
ETA: The big benefit for me is the digital GP. I can get a video appointment with a GP within the next hour, 7 days a week. No hanging around on the phone in the hope of an appointment within the next week.
I stopped work back in December 2021 and was aware that I needed to try and continue to buy PMI privately.
Year 1 I went with my old company’s provider ( Axa ) directly for myself , wife and youngest who still lived at home and then for year 2 I tried a couple of brokers - Usay and Clarity Health.
Both were helpful and the latter especially so.
I view cover as being catastrophic in need and nature and have £1k excesses on both policies - youngest now not covered.
Whilst I have moved providers ( Bupa then back to Axa ) my wife has stayed with Axa.
I’m now 64 and my wife 62 and in reasonable condition for the year and pay about £2,800 for both policies with comprehensive cancer and full outpatient cover - premium obtained last year was the cheapest yet.
I would give Clarity Health a call.
Year 1 I went with my old company’s provider ( Axa ) directly for myself , wife and youngest who still lived at home and then for year 2 I tried a couple of brokers - Usay and Clarity Health.
Both were helpful and the latter especially so.
I view cover as being catastrophic in need and nature and have £1k excesses on both policies - youngest now not covered.
Whilst I have moved providers ( Bupa then back to Axa ) my wife has stayed with Axa.
I’m now 64 and my wife 62 and in reasonable condition for the year and pay about £2,800 for both policies with comprehensive cancer and full outpatient cover - premium obtained last year was the cheapest yet.
I would give Clarity Health a call.
Used to have it with work and continued when new employer did not offer it, after a few years even though we had used it a couple of times we let is lapse due to cost.
I now have to have a small piece of surgery, was referred by the GP back at the end of January, first consultative appointment was due to be in June, that has now been pushed back to September, this isn't the op this is just the meeting, it's likely that the follow up op will be another 9 to 12 weeks after this meeting so could be around a year waiting time.
Now if it was more serious, I'm sure I'd be seen quicker, but personally I'd rather this be sorted, it could get serious and it's not the most pleasant or comfortable thing to live with. I've looked and looks like just paying directly through the nose will be about £4k at the local Spire and be sorted in two weeks.
So on lower risk but quality of life impacting I think this is where Private vs NHS wins massively, in the last private policy with work I had in the late 20teens if for example you took NHS Cancer Care and they would pay you back an element, which I think reflects the fact that for serious stuff the NHS is equipped well to manage.
I now have to have a small piece of surgery, was referred by the GP back at the end of January, first consultative appointment was due to be in June, that has now been pushed back to September, this isn't the op this is just the meeting, it's likely that the follow up op will be another 9 to 12 weeks after this meeting so could be around a year waiting time.
Now if it was more serious, I'm sure I'd be seen quicker, but personally I'd rather this be sorted, it could get serious and it's not the most pleasant or comfortable thing to live with. I've looked and looks like just paying directly through the nose will be about £4k at the local Spire and be sorted in two weeks.
So on lower risk but quality of life impacting I think this is where Private vs NHS wins massively, in the last private policy with work I had in the late 20teens if for example you took NHS Cancer Care and they would pay you back an element, which I think reflects the fact that for serious stuff the NHS is equipped well to manage.
I don't think private medical insurance will get you better treatment for cancer than what the NHS provide. What it may do is get you faster access to a specialist and initial tests but even then suspected cancer is supposed to be a two-week pathway from GP to Consultant. I've got a friend who has recently been diagnosed with cancer which required an urgent operation. From visiting his GP with a 'bad back' two days later he was in having surgery and on the treatment pathway.
I can see the benefits for say non urgent treatment that can have longer waiting lists and if the ailment prevents you from working that will cost you money being self employed. I can't see private medical beating emergency treatment from the NHS which they seem to do very well and no amount of private insurance will get you through A&E any faster.
If an employer offered me private medical I'd grab it with both hands and pay the benefit in kind tax. I've never been in that situation and relied on NHS which, for me has been excellent. If I need treatment and there's a lengthy waiting list for it on the NHS I weigh up paying for it private if it is affecting my quality of life.
I can see the benefits for say non urgent treatment that can have longer waiting lists and if the ailment prevents you from working that will cost you money being self employed. I can't see private medical beating emergency treatment from the NHS which they seem to do very well and no amount of private insurance will get you through A&E any faster.
If an employer offered me private medical I'd grab it with both hands and pay the benefit in kind tax. I've never been in that situation and relied on NHS which, for me has been excellent. If I need treatment and there's a lengthy waiting list for it on the NHS I weigh up paying for it private if it is affecting my quality of life.
The real plus of private medical insurance (PMI) versus NHS is access to consultants, surgeons, treatment etc all on a timely basis, for non urgent medical treatment. For example, I had replacement knee surgery in May 2023 and again in May 2024. In both cases it was a matter of about four weeks from seeing the surgeon to having the operations. Compare that to having the same on the NHS- a good friend had a knee operation in 2024 after waiting over a year.
For reference, the cost of a knee replacement operation when performed privately is around £15000-£16000 for the op plus accommodation, then there's other costs such as the pre op assessment, pre op physio and post op physio sessions costs.
I retired nearly 22 years ago. Before retirement my employer provided comprehensive PMI cover for its employees plus wife/husband. Unusually, the employer also provides PMI for ex employees and wife/husband who retired directly from their employment. This is on an employee optional basis, predominantly because the PMI cost is treated by HMRC as a BIK and therefore taxable at your highest marginal rate. I decided to opt in. In the year after I retired, the premium paid by my ex employer was around £1800. For the tax year 2025/6 it was £8300, so the tax is now a considerable cost to me. Nonetheless, I have continued to stay opted in.
Aside from my two knee ops, I also had a pacemaker fitted in December 2002. My wife has had three hip replacements many years ago. All this via the employer paid PMI.
For me and my wife, continuing with the PMI is something to consider seriously on an annual basis. The issue is that each year there's a significant tax liability and not necessarily any claims. It is difficult to judge on a value for money basis. It is, of course, nice to have the PMI in place in case of non urgent medical need.
R.
For reference, the cost of a knee replacement operation when performed privately is around £15000-£16000 for the op plus accommodation, then there's other costs such as the pre op assessment, pre op physio and post op physio sessions costs.
I retired nearly 22 years ago. Before retirement my employer provided comprehensive PMI cover for its employees plus wife/husband. Unusually, the employer also provides PMI for ex employees and wife/husband who retired directly from their employment. This is on an employee optional basis, predominantly because the PMI cost is treated by HMRC as a BIK and therefore taxable at your highest marginal rate. I decided to opt in. In the year after I retired, the premium paid by my ex employer was around £1800. For the tax year 2025/6 it was £8300, so the tax is now a considerable cost to me. Nonetheless, I have continued to stay opted in.
Aside from my two knee ops, I also had a pacemaker fitted in December 2002. My wife has had three hip replacements many years ago. All this via the employer paid PMI.
For me and my wife, continuing with the PMI is something to consider seriously on an annual basis. The issue is that each year there's a significant tax liability and not necessarily any claims. It is difficult to judge on a value for money basis. It is, of course, nice to have the PMI in place in case of non urgent medical need.
R.
Thanks guys.
I suppose it comes down to how fit and healthy I am, verus the risk of being ill / other non cancer conditions wrapped in the `mid 50s so chance of illnness is increasing` view.
I think I will see what my cover drops too if I raise the excess to £1K. Ive never moved from Bupa before, when Ive mentioned Ive been with them a long time I mean way back in my 20s so a good few years. How do you move from one PMI to another ? Is it a case of ringing up other companies for quotes ? do you need to see previous claims / health checks ?
I suppose it comes down to how fit and healthy I am, verus the risk of being ill / other non cancer conditions wrapped in the `mid 50s so chance of illnness is increasing` view.
I think I will see what my cover drops too if I raise the excess to £1K. Ive never moved from Bupa before, when Ive mentioned Ive been with them a long time I mean way back in my 20s so a good few years. How do you move from one PMI to another ? Is it a case of ringing up other companies for quotes ? do you need to see previous claims / health checks ?
sbk1972 said:
Thanks guys.
I suppose it comes down to how fit and healthy I am, verus the risk of being ill / other non cancer conditions wrapped in the `mid 50s so chance of illnness is increasing` view.
I think I will see what my cover drops too if I raise the excess to £1K. Ive never moved from Bupa before, when Ive mentioned Ive been with them a long time I mean way back in my 20s so a good few years. How do you move from one PMI to another ? Is it a case of ringing up other companies for quotes ? do you need to see previous claims / health checks ?
That’s why I suggested going thorough a broker - let them do all the work in finding a suitable company ( which may still be BUPA ) after asking you the necessary health questions and also suggesting things. I suppose it comes down to how fit and healthy I am, verus the risk of being ill / other non cancer conditions wrapped in the `mid 50s so chance of illnness is increasing` view.
I think I will see what my cover drops too if I raise the excess to £1K. Ive never moved from Bupa before, when Ive mentioned Ive been with them a long time I mean way back in my 20s so a good few years. How do you move from one PMI to another ? Is it a case of ringing up other companies for quotes ? do you need to see previous claims / health checks ?
It won’t cost you a penny more.
There may well be reasons behind them suggesting staying with your existing.
The Leaper said:
The real plus of private medical insurance (PMI) versus NHS is access to consultants, surgeons, treatment etc all on a timely basis, for non urgent medical treatment. For example, I had replacement knee surgery in May 2023 and again in May 2024. In both cases it was a matter of about four weeks from seeing the surgeon to having the operations. Compare that to having the same on the NHS- a good friend had a knee operation in 2024 after waiting over a year.
For reference, the cost of a knee replacement operation when performed privately is around £15000-£16000 for the op plus accommodation, then there's other costs such as the pre op assessment, pre op physio and post op physio sessions costs.
I retired nearly 22 years ago. Before retirement my employer provided comprehensive PMI cover for its employees plus wife/husband. Unusually, the employer also provides PMI for ex employees and wife/husband who retired directly from their employment. This is on an employee optional basis, predominantly because the PMI cost is treated by HMRC as a BIK and therefore taxable at your highest marginal rate. I decided to opt in. In the year after I retired, the premium paid by my ex employer was around £1800. For the tax year 2025/6 it was £8300, so the tax is now a considerable cost to me. Nonetheless, I have continued to stay opted in.
Aside from my two knee ops, I also had a pacemaker fitted in December 2002. My wife has had three hip replacements many years ago. All this via the employer paid PMI.
For me and my wife, continuing with the PMI is something to consider seriously on an annual basis. The issue is that each year there's a significant tax liability and not necessarily any claims. It is difficult to judge on a value for money basis. It is, of course, nice to have the PMI in place in case of non urgent medical need.
R.
You're lucky with that retired employee scheme as it is costing you nowhere near what a stand-alone policy would cost for someone self employed like the OP. I'd happily pay the tax on it, and I don't say that lightly.For reference, the cost of a knee replacement operation when performed privately is around £15000-£16000 for the op plus accommodation, then there's other costs such as the pre op assessment, pre op physio and post op physio sessions costs.
I retired nearly 22 years ago. Before retirement my employer provided comprehensive PMI cover for its employees plus wife/husband. Unusually, the employer also provides PMI for ex employees and wife/husband who retired directly from their employment. This is on an employee optional basis, predominantly because the PMI cost is treated by HMRC as a BIK and therefore taxable at your highest marginal rate. I decided to opt in. In the year after I retired, the premium paid by my ex employer was around £1800. For the tax year 2025/6 it was £8300, so the tax is now a considerable cost to me. Nonetheless, I have continued to stay opted in.
Aside from my two knee ops, I also had a pacemaker fitted in December 2002. My wife has had three hip replacements many years ago. All this via the employer paid PMI.
For me and my wife, continuing with the PMI is something to consider seriously on an annual basis. The issue is that each year there's a significant tax liability and not necessarily any claims. It is difficult to judge on a value for money basis. It is, of course, nice to have the PMI in place in case of non urgent medical need.
R.
Armitage.Shanks said:
The Leaper said:
The real plus of private medical insurance (PMI) versus NHS is access to consultants, surgeons, treatment etc all on a timely basis, for non urgent medical treatment. For example, I had replacement knee surgery in May 2023 and again in May 2024. In both cases it was a matter of about four weeks from seeing the surgeon to having the operations. Compare that to having the same on the NHS- a good friend had a knee operation in 2024 after waiting over a year.
For reference, the cost of a knee replacement operation when performed privately is around £15000-£16000 for the op plus accommodation, then there's other costs such as the pre op assessment, pre op physio and post op physio sessions costs.
I retired nearly 22 years ago. Before retirement my employer provided comprehensive PMI cover for its employees plus wife/husband. Unusually, the employer also provides PMI for ex employees and wife/husband who retired directly from their employment. This is on an employee optional basis, predominantly because the PMI cost is treated by HMRC as a BIK and therefore taxable at your highest marginal rate. I decided to opt in. In the year after I retired, the premium paid by my ex employer was around £1800. For the tax year 2025/6 it was £8300, so the tax is now a considerable cost to me. Nonetheless, I have continued to stay opted in.
Aside from my two knee ops, I also had a pacemaker fitted in December 2002. My wife has had three hip replacements many years ago. All this via the employer paid PMI.
For me and my wife, continuing with the PMI is something to consider seriously on an annual basis. The issue is that each year there's a significant tax liability and not necessarily any claims. It is difficult to judge on a value for money basis. It is, of course, nice to have the PMI in place in case of non urgent medical need.
R.
You're lucky with that retired employee scheme as it is costing you nowhere near what a stand-alone policy would cost for someone self employed like the OP. I'd happily pay the tax on it, and I don't say that lightly.For reference, the cost of a knee replacement operation when performed privately is around £15000-£16000 for the op plus accommodation, then there's other costs such as the pre op assessment, pre op physio and post op physio sessions costs.
I retired nearly 22 years ago. Before retirement my employer provided comprehensive PMI cover for its employees plus wife/husband. Unusually, the employer also provides PMI for ex employees and wife/husband who retired directly from their employment. This is on an employee optional basis, predominantly because the PMI cost is treated by HMRC as a BIK and therefore taxable at your highest marginal rate. I decided to opt in. In the year after I retired, the premium paid by my ex employer was around £1800. For the tax year 2025/6 it was £8300, so the tax is now a considerable cost to me. Nonetheless, I have continued to stay opted in.
Aside from my two knee ops, I also had a pacemaker fitted in December 2002. My wife has had three hip replacements many years ago. All this via the employer paid PMI.
For me and my wife, continuing with the PMI is something to consider seriously on an annual basis. The issue is that each year there's a significant tax liability and not necessarily any claims. It is difficult to judge on a value for money basis. It is, of course, nice to have the PMI in place in case of non urgent medical need.
R.
We are now both in our early 80s with, obviously, a foreseeable life expectancy. There's the need to consider whether or not it is financially worthwhile opting in and having the substantial tax to pay versus the likelihood of either or both of us making a claim under the PMI. Interesting factors come into play here. IMO it comes down to our financial priorities which certainly change during several key stages of one's lifetime.
It will be interesting to see what the cost is (and the tax!) for the current plan year commencing 1 April 2026, not yet advised to members.
R.
We broker PMI and it’s becoming increasingly popular every year, as less people want to rely on the NHS. Cancer diagnosis and treatment and be far superior and I’ve seen this first hand with some of our directors and friends.
BUPA is expensive so do compare with the likes of Aviva and Vitality as that’s where 90% of our business goes, not just down to cost but service too.
As I say if you can afford it, definitely keep it.
BUPA is expensive so do compare with the likes of Aviva and Vitality as that’s where 90% of our business goes, not just down to cost but service too.
As I say if you can afford it, definitely keep it.
PMI is there to complement the NHS, not replace it. The specialist could also do NHS work and private work so the actual treatment could be the same, you will probably get a better room and fancier service privately.
It's also for acute symptoms and not to be used for medical emergencies where A&E will be the best place for you or chronic conditions or anything that needs long term monitoring outside of cancer.
The NHS do cancer really well although depending on where you live their time to access treatment is starting to slip past government targets.
For anything else, the quick access to treatment compared to the NHS is staggering.
I've waited over 6 months just for a initial consultation on the NHS, with PMI you normally only need to wait a week or 2 and could be having a surgical intervention if needed and on the road to recovery in less than a month.
If you're working and your employer offers PMI and you are at the age where ailments are starting to pop up, then in the current climate it's definitely something to consider opting into for the cost of paying the tax on it.
Usually company policies are more bespoke and offer higher levels of coverage compared to what you would get as an individual person buying it from a insurer directly. Also the majority of time a well known larger employer will most likely be medical history disregarded underwriting so any previous issues won't need to be declared.
You won't get this on a personal policy and will need to declare your medical history and most likely anything previous will not be covered or you will need to go a certain amount of years treatment or advice free (Moratorium) before you can claim for it again.
Company schemes will usually only have a small (few hundred) excess and higher or no outpatient limits as well compared to personal policies.
It's not unusual to see personal policies where a older person with a poor medical history to have premiums over £10k a year.
Some insurers might have treatment pathways for certain conditions like musculoskeletal and mental health symptoms so don't even require you to obtain a GP referral, you just call them up and get triaged and straight into treatment again offering you quick access to treatment.
You could keep putting money in pot every month and then decide to self pay at a private hospital for treatment but it can get very expensive, like someone above said a knee replacement around £10-16k, a cardiac procedure could be over £15k. Those one off type procedures are just about affordable as some private hospitals are also starting to do interest free monthly payments, however it's a different story for cancer, something like breast cancer could cost upwards of £40k and something like lung or prostate even higher (£70k+).
These are yearly figures as well, the drugs are really expensive, a targeted therapy course can run up over £5/8k a month and you would need to be on this for a couple of years, and that's not including all the other drugs, test, scans, monitoring or complications that may arise.
There is no one size fits all answer as it will depend on a individuals history/circumstances and affordability.
It is a minefield buying directly due to the amount of options various insurers provide, a broker will be best placed to help you make a decision if buying directly and for yourself/family and do all the legwork for you.
Don't be lured in by the offer of free stuff like cinema tickets, apple watches, money off vouchers etc either from certain insurers. Take time to see how the insurers claims process/service and bill paying actually review compared to each other as at the end of the day that will be most important when you need to actually use it.
It's also for acute symptoms and not to be used for medical emergencies where A&E will be the best place for you or chronic conditions or anything that needs long term monitoring outside of cancer.
The NHS do cancer really well although depending on where you live their time to access treatment is starting to slip past government targets.
For anything else, the quick access to treatment compared to the NHS is staggering.
I've waited over 6 months just for a initial consultation on the NHS, with PMI you normally only need to wait a week or 2 and could be having a surgical intervention if needed and on the road to recovery in less than a month.
If you're working and your employer offers PMI and you are at the age where ailments are starting to pop up, then in the current climate it's definitely something to consider opting into for the cost of paying the tax on it.
Usually company policies are more bespoke and offer higher levels of coverage compared to what you would get as an individual person buying it from a insurer directly. Also the majority of time a well known larger employer will most likely be medical history disregarded underwriting so any previous issues won't need to be declared.
You won't get this on a personal policy and will need to declare your medical history and most likely anything previous will not be covered or you will need to go a certain amount of years treatment or advice free (Moratorium) before you can claim for it again.
Company schemes will usually only have a small (few hundred) excess and higher or no outpatient limits as well compared to personal policies.
It's not unusual to see personal policies where a older person with a poor medical history to have premiums over £10k a year.
Some insurers might have treatment pathways for certain conditions like musculoskeletal and mental health symptoms so don't even require you to obtain a GP referral, you just call them up and get triaged and straight into treatment again offering you quick access to treatment.
You could keep putting money in pot every month and then decide to self pay at a private hospital for treatment but it can get very expensive, like someone above said a knee replacement around £10-16k, a cardiac procedure could be over £15k. Those one off type procedures are just about affordable as some private hospitals are also starting to do interest free monthly payments, however it's a different story for cancer, something like breast cancer could cost upwards of £40k and something like lung or prostate even higher (£70k+).
These are yearly figures as well, the drugs are really expensive, a targeted therapy course can run up over £5/8k a month and you would need to be on this for a couple of years, and that's not including all the other drugs, test, scans, monitoring or complications that may arise.
There is no one size fits all answer as it will depend on a individuals history/circumstances and affordability.
It is a minefield buying directly due to the amount of options various insurers provide, a broker will be best placed to help you make a decision if buying directly and for yourself/family and do all the legwork for you.
Don't be lured in by the offer of free stuff like cinema tickets, apple watches, money off vouchers etc either from certain insurers. Take time to see how the insurers claims process/service and bill paying actually review compared to each other as at the end of the day that will be most important when you need to actually use it.
It’s also worth noting that PMI will generally not cover ongoing medical issues. I have an ankle issue which I am going to be stuck with for the rest of my life. My medical cover paid for initial consultations, scan and preliminary treatment but after a few months they informed me that they will not pay for any further treatment so I am back to the NHS or self funding as I need some minor surgery to try and make it more comfortable.
Having seen what my partner went through with a stomach issue for two years, I got PMI pretty much a year ago as the new policy has just rolled over.
Whilst its a lot cheaper than yours annually, in my mind its so worth it.
Took two years for my partner to get an operation (and six months later there are complications that she finally has a follow up appointment for this month).
Privately it would have been a month or two.
Whilst its a lot cheaper than yours annually, in my mind its so worth it.
Took two years for my partner to get an operation (and six months later there are complications that she finally has a follow up appointment for this month).
Privately it would have been a month or two.
alscar said:
I stopped work back in December 2021 and was aware that I needed to try and continue to buy PMI privately.
Year 1 I went with my old company s provider ( Axa ) directly for myself , wife and youngest who still lived at home and then for year 2 I tried a couple of brokers - Usay and Clarity Health.
Both were helpful and the latter especially so.
.....
That's interesting as I use Usay - could you say how Clarity were more helpful?Year 1 I went with my old company s provider ( Axa ) directly for myself , wife and youngest who still lived at home and then for year 2 I tried a couple of brokers - Usay and Clarity Health.
Both were helpful and the latter especially so.
.....
Just renewed ours, with Aviva - it had jumped up about 20% but a bit of faffing around with Usay and them talking to Aviva and they eliminated most of the increase with no changes to the policy.
I'm wondering why they didn't do that in the first place and I had to push for it - they said they assumed we'd made a claim, but we hadn't. They also seem keen to switch each year which makes me think they get a new customer bonus from the insurer. To be fair, no hassle, they accepted that I'd prefer not to keep jumping around, and they were pushing Bupa this year whom I had multiple problems with when covered by a Corporate policy.
Also interesting that you have separate policies - is that due to cost?
Edited by Sheepshanks on Thursday 4th June 07:01
For me yes.
Im lucky enough to have family cover with work. Doctor at Hand normally within a few hours online, referrals, Daughter got a brain scan following headaches at The Spire. Various "woman stuff" for my wife that were pushed away by the local GP that resulted in treatments/drugs.
I've also had a brain scan due to tumor symptoms. He went through some tests in his Room and took me straight down stairs for CT scan. I have some large arachnoid cysts.
Its a taxable benefit but I wouldn't be without it if I could afford it and would make other cut backs , such as SKy TV , in order to have access to it.
However, on the flip side my wife passed away with AML Leukemia and the treatment from the NHS was also amazing. Blood tests, results in 48 hours, fast tracked to a bed , bone taken for further tests and a treatment plan all in a few hours. I also had my testicles scanned a few months ago fairly quickly following a visit to the local NHS doctors.
But sometimes I struggle with local NHS Doctors , appointments online only, call backs and short conversations, sending photographs of weird looking moles via my iphone etc. It does help them fast track more serious issues (such as my testicle cyst) but sometimes you just want to speak to someone.
Swings and roundabouts depending on your problems I think.
Im lucky enough to have family cover with work. Doctor at Hand normally within a few hours online, referrals, Daughter got a brain scan following headaches at The Spire. Various "woman stuff" for my wife that were pushed away by the local GP that resulted in treatments/drugs.
I've also had a brain scan due to tumor symptoms. He went through some tests in his Room and took me straight down stairs for CT scan. I have some large arachnoid cysts.
Its a taxable benefit but I wouldn't be without it if I could afford it and would make other cut backs , such as SKy TV , in order to have access to it.
However, on the flip side my wife passed away with AML Leukemia and the treatment from the NHS was also amazing. Blood tests, results in 48 hours, fast tracked to a bed , bone taken for further tests and a treatment plan all in a few hours. I also had my testicles scanned a few months ago fairly quickly following a visit to the local NHS doctors.
But sometimes I struggle with local NHS Doctors , appointments online only, call backs and short conversations, sending photographs of weird looking moles via my iphone etc. It does help them fast track more serious issues (such as my testicle cyst) but sometimes you just want to speak to someone.
Swings and roundabouts depending on your problems I think.
Edited by oldaudi on Thursday 4th June 08:33
Sheepshanks said:
alscar said:
I stopped work back in December 2021 and was aware that I needed to try and continue to buy PMI privately.
Year 1 I went with my old company s provider ( Axa ) directly for myself , wife and youngest who still lived at home and then for year 2 I tried a couple of brokers - Usay and Clarity Health.
Both were helpful and the latter especially so.
.....
That's interesting as I use Usay - could you say how Clarity were more helpful?Year 1 I went with my old company s provider ( Axa ) directly for myself , wife and youngest who still lived at home and then for year 2 I tried a couple of brokers - Usay and Clarity Health.
Both were helpful and the latter especially so.
.....
Just renewed ours, with Aviva - it had jumped up about 20% but a bit of faffing around with Usay and them talking to Aviva and they eliminated most of the increase with no changes to the policy.
I'm wondering why they didn't do that in the first place and I had to push for it - they said they assumed we'd made a claim, but we hadn't. They also seem keen to switch each year which makes me think they get a new customer bonus from the insurer. To be fair, no hassle, they accepted that I'd prefer not to keep jumping around, and they were pushing Bupa this year whom I had multiple problems with when covered by a Corporate policy.
Also interesting that you have separate policies - is that due to cost?
Edited by Sheepshanks on Thursday 4th June 07:01
This also meant by using continuing medical exclusions underwriting ( there were no added terms ) and in no fresh terms were also applied.
Year 2 I dealt direct and negotiated a further discount.
At the same time I contacted USAY just for a sense check and they thought my deal was pretty good.
As with most types of Insurance when renewal then came round with a large increase I contacted Clarity Health after doing some online research as I saw them as more of a traditional broker.
To me at least they acted far more as a broker and didn’t push me into one provider over another and understood exactly what I was trying to achieve.
They provided what they thought was the best offerings from 2 or 3 providers which happened to be Axa , BUPA and Vitality.
As with my cars and house I like to remain wherever possible with the same provider and for me at least it’s not just about getting the cheapest deal but the one that balances cover versus price versus ease.
I also thought that the conversations were far more 2 way street and they gave me no impression of any pressure to favour one over another or indeed to go with them.
In my working life I dealt with brokers every day of the week so was well used to idiosyncrasies and different styles.
They were also very prompt in emailing quotes post initial phone call etc and whilst we haven’t needed to claim they also operate a helpful claims advice line.
Year 1 was that joint policy which the premium for us both was £4k.
Although we are now both with Axa our premiums are different ( my wife’s is about £500 more than mine ) and there was no additional cost benefit in combining so 2 policies.
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