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Baz46
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Somewhere rural 'out in the sticks', UK
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16-05-2019, 06:17 AM
11

Re: Private healthcare

Originally Posted by Floydy ->
Baz, Omar. That's the problem isn't it? I could possibly afford this healthcare while I'm working, at a pinch but when it comes to the time I may really need a doctor or dentist in a hurry (i.e. when I'm older and retired) it may not be possible due to funds. But we'll have to wait and see how things work out.
Yes, very much so. Healthcare is after all insurance and just like all insurance companies they want their money one way or another. I paid in for a lot of years before needing to use my healthcare, when the premiums were increasing too much to continue I had paid a lot in but not taken much out.

Similar in that way to my car insurance. In 57 years claims for two broken windscreens and for damage to the cruise control sensor caused by colliding with a pheasant and that's all. However, despite all that was paid in premiums I still lost £205 for that last claim!

My household insurance is the same. One claim for a TV aerial blown down in a storm plus a claim for slight subsidence in 36 years but for that subsidence claim I had to find the first £1,000.

But then that's how life very often is, so I've found anyway, hence my signature below. The slightly longer version of this – Change what you can change but anything you cannot change is not really worth worrying about!
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16-05-2019, 06:46 AM
12

Re: Private healthcare

So very true Baz. It's all a ball game of pros and cons and juggling the finances isn't it? So much to think about and plan our future in a way that doesn't dent our savings too much.
I have all that to come.
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Tedc
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Berkshire, UK
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31-05-2019, 04:04 PM
13

Re: Private healthcare

Originally Posted by Baz46 ->
One telephone call for an appointment resulted in seeing a consultant and an x-ray the next morning. The very next day I was in a private BUPA hospital and operated on. Brilliant hospital, very good care and most importantly out of that excruciating pain.

One downfall though that I found, as did my parents too, that premiums increase steeply as you get older. The very time you may need more from a private healthcare insurance it may become unaffordable. When retired your income is usually as good as fixed, no way of earning more either. Both myself and my parents found it impossible to continue due to the spiralling premiums.

Any quotes you get will probably not show this aspect of private health insurance but in my experience it's well worth asking about.
I went through much the same experience after having had cover from BUPA and then AXA as part of the job package.

It was only whilst sitting having a coffee in the Brompton that I was given some advice, by the surgeon sitting across from me, whilst I was waiting for my late wife to have an op there.

We were just chatting and I explained that i couldn't see the way forward to paying the ever increasing monthly subs for our cover, now that I had retired.

Right away he explained one of those"lightbulb" plans.

It went like this:-

1) Think like a business man looking for a deal. He explained that, when you are told that you need some treatment, you first ask your doctor to get an appointment, for you, with a private Surgeon.

At that appointment you discuss the proposed surgery and all of the other aspects of how & where it will be done. Then you leave with a price!
You should be ready to get other prices but this surgeon pointed out that a negotiated deal was always going to be way cheaper than the other options and a lot different from what Private companies would be being charged.

2) He advised setting up a special personal bank account and putting into it all of the money you would have been paying monthly to the Private Company.
If your monthly payment reached, say, 500 a month, that would mean you would have 12000 to negotiate with, after two years.
The bonus, here, is that you may never spend it all and it remains yours.
The negative is that it might be 3 or 4 years before you can pay for, for example cataract surgery.
However, your dental surgery should be attainable from this, and you might see opportunities in the choice of surgeons you can use.

Bottom line, and the line followed by lots of businessmen, manage your own package.
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31-05-2019, 05:15 PM
14

Re: Private healthcare

Originally Posted by Tedc ->
2) He advised setting up a special personal bank account and putting into it all of the money you would have been paying monthly to the Private Company.
If your monthly payment reached, say, 500 a month, that would mean you would have 6000 to negotiate with, after two years.
The bonus, here, is that you may never spend it all and it remains yours.
The negative is that it might be 3 or 4 years before you can pay for, for example cataract surgery.
However, your dental surgery should be attainable from this, and you might see opportunities in the choice of surgeons you can use.
Surely £500 a month for 2 years is £12,000 ?

As a guide to cost, my recent NHS Open Repair Of Recurrent Inguinal Hernia – Unilateral would have cost £3,000 (approximately) if performed privately - consultant fees and scans/X-rays, etc would have pushed that to nearer £4,000.
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31-05-2019, 07:00 PM
15

Re: Private healthcare

Originally Posted by Omah ->
Surely £500 a month for 2 years is £12,000 ?

As a guide to cost, my recent NHS Open Repair Of Recurrent Inguinal Hernia – Unilateral would have cost £3,000 (approximately) if performed privately - consultant fees and scans/X-rays, etc would have pushed that to nearer £4,000.
Just testing Omah!
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31-05-2019, 07:28 PM
16

Re: Private healthcare

Originally Posted by tedc ->
just testing omah!
ok .....
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31-05-2019, 08:00 PM
17

Re: Private healthcare

Floydy I am appalled it took you so long to get an appointment .


Re private medicine

As many have said premiums get horrendously more as you get older .

And

If you have a life changing condition that needs an operation .

THE NATIONAL HEALTH IS BEST

The private sector simply does not have the team or expertise to do the thing properly .

You may however get an appointment quicker .

Most private surgeons are NHS surgeons doing the same stuff privately for extra money .

They use the NHS for all the serious stuff .

Yes you will may get better food and politer attendants BUT when the chips are down it's the national health.



Dentists

Private is probaby best according to the dentist BUT be prepared to pay for it .

Prevention is better that cure so take care of your teeth yourself as much as possible .
It means flossing and indental brushes to stop decay and gum recession .

I now have an NHS dentist it took me two years to get on his list .I pay £21.50 for a check up twice a year . So far so good .
He has not had to do anything yet

But I have six monthly visits to the hygienist ( of my own volition. ) which cost me £52 pounds a time .

Money well spent IMO .
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31-05-2019, 08:11 PM
18

Re: Private healthcare

Good post Muddy. NHS is better for serious issues.

Going private for fairly run-of-the-mill orthopaedic operations can be tempting, if you have the money.

BUT!! People often overlook the fact that having shelled out initially for the procedure, say a knee or hip replacement, you will then have to pay out again for any physiotherapy afterwards.

And it's the physio that's crucial to the success of the operation!
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01-06-2019, 11:19 AM
19

Re: Private healthcare

I pay for all my dental treatment because it is not covered by Medicare but it still works out cheaper than having medical insurance.

There are certain procedures that I would pay for. Eventually I will need cataract surgery and rather than wait in a queue for it to be done in the public system I would rather fork out the few grand it will cost to get it done privately (and instantly) - I can still claim some of the cost back from Medicare.
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08-06-2019, 07:53 PM
20

Re: Private healthcare

Just a thought...….

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