Private Health Insurance

Hi everyone

I'm wondering if anyone here has private health insurance or is aware of average costs? The apparent best price I could get for comprehensive cover (according to a comparison site) was £32 a month. Is this cheap, normal or expensive?

I am:
- 18
- In full-time employment
- Don't have any pre-existing medical conditions
- No serious medical history
- Not a smoker

Thanks!

Reply 1

Kindred

20

Original post by Lewis23z

Hi everyone

I'm wondering if anyone here has private health insurance or is aware of average costs? The apparent best price I could get for comprehensive cover (according to a comparison site) was £32 a month. Is this cheap, normal or expensive?

I am:
- 18
- In full-time employment
- Don't have any pre-existing medical conditions
- No serious medical history
- Not a smoker

Thanks!

If you check multiple companies and comparison sites that should give you a good idea. Do also check for of there is an excess amount that you'll need to pay if you make any claims and what hospitals they cover/ what the terms are. It could be worth paying a little extra for one that covers a hospital more local to you compared to one that only covers further away hospitals.

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

Original post by Lewis23z

Hi everyone

I'm wondering if anyone here has private health insurance or is aware of average costs? The apparent best price I could get for comprehensive cover (according to a comparison site) was £32 a month. Is this cheap, normal or expensive?

I am:
- 18
- In full-time employment
- Don't have any pre-existing medical conditions
- No serious medical history
- Not a smoker

Thanks!

Just out of intereset - why does an 18-year-old with no serious medical history need health insurance?

Reply 3

Lewis23z

OP

6

Original post by Anonymous

Just out of intereset - why does an 18-year-old with no serious medical history need health insurance?

Why does anyone need insurance?
It's to cover you for what could potentially happen in the future. The NHS isn't all bad, but with private health care you avoid long waiting lists and get tests and treatment done asap.

Reply 4

Anonymous #1

Original post by Lewis23z

Why does anyone need insurance?
It's to cover you for what could potentially happen in the future. The NHS isn't all bad, but with private health care you avoid long waiting lists and get tests and treatment done asap.

If you want avoid waiting list and get things done ASAP, you can always ask to be referred privately, and just pay when you need it. What's the point of paying for years in advance?

Reply 5

Lewis23z

OP

6

I have paid to go privately before when I had very bad acne and didn't want to wait 5 months just to see a specialist. That was affordable but still cost near £1,000. Going private for small things might be fine, but for more complex operations or situations where you must be an inpatient will cost you thousands of pounds. For example, my dad needed a back operation that would have costed him well over 6 grand to go private (and avoid the 6-month NHS waiting list). Cancer treatment would cost a fortune, you'd need to cook meth in an RV if you didn't have private insurance. (To be fair the NHS is quite good when it comes to cancer treatment.)

I guess it's just something which is reassuring to have. Knowing that you can go private for any matters, small or large, is a nice feeling. Not to mention that the NHS is struggling.

It's a personal choice, I can understand it's not for everyone.

Reply 6

Anonymous #1

Original post by Lewis23z

I have paid to go privately before when I had very bad acne and didn't want to wait 5 months just to see a specialist. That was affordable but still cost near £1,000. Going private for small things might be fine, but for more complex operations or situations where you must be an inpatient will cost you thousands of pounds. For example, my dad needed a back operation that would have costed him well over 6 grand to go private (and avoid the 6-month NHS waiting list). Cancer treatment would cost a fortune, you'd need to cook meth in an RV if you didn't have private insurance. (To be fair the NHS is quite good when it comes to cancer treatment.)

I guess it's just something which is reassuring to have. Knowing that you can go private for any matters, small or large, is a nice feeling. Not to mention that the NHS is struggling.

It's a personal choice, I can understand it's not for everyone.

No, that's fair enough. Just pointing out that that is also a choice - some people don't know that private referrals are possible.

Reply 7

Kindred

20

Original post by Anonymous

If you want avoid waiting list and get things done ASAP, you can always ask to be referred privately, and just pay when you need it. What's the point of paying for years in advance?

Depends how much you're paying. I've used thousands of pounds worth on insurance and there's no way I would have been able to pay that as and when needed. Any private appointment is going to set you back about £200 and even blood tests can cost £100. Then there's around £1000 for scans.
It's an investment and it may never end up being worth it to you, but it also really can. Just one incident needing some level of testing can make your investment pay off.
I don't think I would pay for insurance myself with the NHS being an option (especially since a new plan would probably cost me a bomb), but I can certainly see why people would go for it and I'm really thankful I was able to take advantage of my parent's plan. I'm pretty sure I've got their moneys worth out of it too.

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