Health Insurance Why would I need health insurance?

I've one question, if anyone can help?
If I don't take out insurance, but pay for any scans or diagnosis myself, can this speed up access to the public health system, which then should leave the rest of my treatment free, except for the bed charges??? I wonder if this could work, as the problem with the public system is always quoted as being one of accessing the system/getting diagnosed, and after that, outcomes seem level with both systems?

Any thoughts as to whether this is a strategy that could work?
 
Hi haille,
To answer your questions, the max payable per annum in a public hospital, 750 per person, covers everything carried out
once you're admitted as an inpatient. This includes surgery, scans, X rays,medication,cancer treatments etc etc.
The reason for the waiting times is to prevent people signing up at short notice if they need surgery and then dropping out
the following year.
The new basic policies cover the 750 public hospital max charge but they don't speed up access for surgery. There
is one waiting list regardless of having private health insurance re public hospitals.
They also avoid paying the extra loading, 2% for every year of age higher than age 34.

The decision to take out health insurance is sometimes with
the longer term in mind, which can be a peace of mind at that stage.
Snowyb
 

I'd also be interested in any thoughts on the query above...

I'm new to the whole private insurance party, having lived in UK from my early 20s til a few years ago. Now at 46yo trying to decide whether it is worth laying out the cash for a monthly premium...
 

Hi greentea,

Welcome to AAM.
Regarding your query relating to previous post by duffsaw, whether paying for scans and diagnosis yourself, can speed up access to the public health system. When dealing with the public hospitals as a public patient(no health insurance) potentially there are 3 different waiting lists. 1. Scans 2. Consultant 3. Surgery.

The potential wait for certain scans could be months or year+ depending on the type of scan. Waiting for a consultant visit could be 1year+ and finally waiting list for surgery could be 1-2 yrs depending on the type of surgery and how chronic you are.
If you are prepared to pay for scans and consultant visit, this will eliminate the first 2 waiting lists. However, unless you are prepared
to pay for surgery yourself, at that stage you will go onto the public waiting list for surgery.
Even people with health insurance go onto the same public waiting list for surgery in the public hospitals now, since the changes came
in relating to bed re-designation in public hospitals.

So while paying for scans and consultant visits can speed up access, there is still a fair amount of waiting involved for surgery.
If you are considering health insurance, it is worth including private hospital cover on the plan to give a broader range of options.

Regards Snowyb
 
thanks Snowyb - both for the welcome and for the answer. That's very helpful. I've plenty to mull over between now and midnight tomorrow!
I better start studying the plans in detail, I keep just getting very confused...
 

So you can pay from savings to beat the first two stages and private insurance gives you no advantage in the waiting list for the third?? Sounds like a no brainer? Isn't there also an option of going abroad for the third under EU law like Tommy O'Gorman did or even privately which is I'm sure is cheaper in UK and elesewhere. Also what about the National Treatment Purchase Fund, I heard it was being wound down but the website is still there
 
I'm tending towards that view too mmclo - pay for a faster consultant visit and scans and then if its urgent you'll be seen quickly anyway under the public system and if not you can join waiting queue ...

I think Snowyb is making the point that on the cheaper entry level plans you don't get seen any faster for surgery, but if you have a more expensive policy including private hospital cover you would.
 
My current experience of the system is through my husband. He had a hernia operation in Jan that left him in severe pain (this may be the result of the operation, or may be an unrelated problem in the same area). He is currently on 4 different painkillers a day to manage the pain, which leaves him functioning just about. He was planning on returning to work, but this is not possible as he is now. The surgeon who operated on him can't do any more as there is a strong possibility that it's a urology problem. The urologist consultant doesn't believe it's a urology problem and refuses to see him. This is all under the public system.

We have health insurance, so we're trying to get it sorted privately, which should take weeks rather than the indeterminate amount of time public would take.
 
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