private healthcare

[sandie]

im fed up of the NHS.
not only do they tell me they will peform an operation then tell me its against there policy to give that type of operation but my GP is out of emergency appointments for 3 weeks???????? :{
then when i try to get an emergency appointment at a closer surgery that im meaning to register with anyway they wont see me at all unless im registered and that is a 3 week wait to register.

so unless im to end up dead soon i need private health care - anyone know any good organisations to join.
ive looked at the BUPA and BIM sites.

[Marino]

Hi Sandie,
I have been told legal and general or noriich union are well worth a look.
I am setting up private health myself at the mo, through my bank, i know it is one of these two. I cant remember which one, i am at the bank sorting it out next tuesday.

[Peter]

Go private, you won't regret it. You can also "buy" your operation as a one off from BUPA

[mart]

Try getting your insurer to pay if they claim you've got a pre-existing condition.

Mart

[Jonboy]

Sandie,you need to shop around , the costs vary quite a bit. I pay BUPA ?60.00 per month , but when I was looking Norwich was almost ?100.00.And as Mart says , they do not cover existing conditions,so yo would have to pay privatly.Truth is the NHS is hopeless

[Marblehead Johnson]

BUPA, Standard Life, Norwich Union & Legal and General are all very good. But as Mart says they won't pay for treatment if you've already got the condition. They have got a clause covering "pre-existing conditions" but this won't help you in this instance unfortunately.

I had to go into hospital for a minor op last month - paying to see the consultant privately (for the initial consultation) saved me about 17 weeks wait on the NHS. Then I had to wait 5 weeks for the op on the NHS. Of course if I'd paid to have it done privately it would have cost me a grand and would have been done after a 5 day wait.

If you need any further advice Sandie, feel free to e-mail me privately.

[DavidS]

You have to be cautious. The pre-existing condition is often used by insurance companies as an excuse to 'welsh' on their obligations. Of course it is quite reasonable for them not to pay if you have joined a scheme merely to get treatment for a condition you have not declared. However they sometimes claim a condition is pre-existing even if you didn't know about. Norwich Union bounced two claims from me for diabetes and mild skin cancer, notwithstanding the fact that I was not aware I had either condition when I took out the policy. I have not had private health care since the 1990's.

[DavidS]

Depending on what type of operation you need, the best way forward rather than entering into long term private health insurance. maybe to find out who the best surgeon is in that field in your area, and arrange a private consultation with him. What many people do not realise is that an initial consultation with a surgeon does not cost an huge amount. He will tell you what is needed and how much it will cost privately. Usually if the surgeon is aware that health insurance companies are not involved and you have limited funds, a reasonable arrangement can be made. If the operation is too expensive say you are reverting to the NHS. That usually gets the surgeon to offer a big discount!

[mart]

You are making a very good point David. We tend to equate "Private" health care with Insurance whereas in reality anyone can go "Private" if they've got the cash.
I like the idea of bargaining, I'm very much into the "Anything off for cash" approach.

Mart

[Snake Diamond]

As a Welsh Man, I PERSONALLY take your remark "...as an excuse to 'welsh' on their obligations" as offensive.

You are inferring that all Welsh ppl are unreliable & not trust worthy.

Granted that some ppl, whether they be English, Irish, Scotish, or Welsh, or from any other Country, can also be of the same type, untrustworthy etc... I would request that you NOT use that statement again.