Is it worth getting? I'll be up for getting free private health-care this month through work, they'll do 'executive' packages but tbh I'm clueless.. I like the idea of it cos I can get the wife on it too but will it end up costing me? How do prescriptions etc work?
They vary massively by policy. Imo, unless you know you're due a lot of work, its only worth while if you get free access to a private GP. Private GP's are awesome, no waiting time, lovely offices, nice people. However policies with no-charge unlimited GP access tend to be expensive.
I used to have the above, now I dont get GP access, I just get a proportion of any private work covered but to get to that stage I need to get an appointment with an NHS GP which, for me anyway, totally defeats the point of having healthcare because the GP part is the most difficult.
There will also be some charge to you each time you use a service, probably in the 15% region with a cap at a few thousand in a year. This means even though you're covered, getting private work can still be expensive. I had a blood test at a renal specialist and it cost me £130 (which was 15% of the total price). You also have to pay for all prescriptions still, £7 a go I think, same as NHS.
I think its only worth it (unless your company is paying) in 3 cases:
1) you or your wife particularly dislike doctors and are willing to pay to make sure you have a nice experience
2) you know you're due for a large operation which the NHS will take forever to do
3) your time is worth a lot of money and you cant take time out to wait for an NHS GP / operation.
Not worth it imo.
The NHS is fantastic. So good in fact that if you have private health care, and you require an operation....if you have complications you're shipped right back to the NHS who can actually deal with stuff like that.
I've used it to jump waiting queues. A 6 month wait for an mri or a 3 week one.
Otherwise I've been nhs for everything.
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If I get it can I still use the NHS if I want to?
Quote from: Pete on March 19, 2012, 19:23:21 PM
If I get it can I still use the NHS if I want to?
Yes, though in some cases (depending on the NHS trust) it can be an either or situation for a particular condition i.e. you can't top up NHS treatment via a private provider - see cases where cancer patients wanted to have drugs not available on the NHS privately and still see an NHS consultant... in these sorts of cases you either go private or you go NHS you can't mix and match.
I'd say if your employer provides it then it can be well worth it if you're likely to make use of it - i.e. sports injuries etc... you pay some tax towards the cost of them providing you with the benefit and you'll generally have a finite outpatient allowance (say £1000) which covers the costs of consultant fees (usually about £130-£170 per consultation) - operations, MRIs, hospital stays are separate to this. Its useful if you've say got an injury, need an MRI/operation and want it done quickly - can have an MRI within a week (in London) and an operation fairly rapidly after that.
For other things that might require multiple consultations and/or tests you might well be better off using the NHS - they typical outpatient allowance for corporate policies can be used up fairly rapidly if you have to see a consultant multiple times.
Essentially sports injuries etc.. great - other things where your GP is unsure and wants to send you to a specialist (i.e. where you might need a few appointments/tests) stick with the NHS.
In answer to your 'how do prescriptions work' you'll generally pay for them...
Actually if they're for something expensive then the private consultant your GP referred you to can ask your GP to write the prescription for you (thus its just the NHS charge) if its something the GP is allowed to prescribe.
Though the fact you've asked the question would seem to indicate that you're thinking more along the lines of prescriptions in general - i.e. a private GP too... this generally isn't how corporate health insurance policies work - usually you'll still see your NHS GP - the policy is there to cover instances where you need to be referred to a specialist and not for general health care stuff you'd see your GP about. Essentially you can see a specialist quicker (and have a choice) and your GP is more likely to be happy to refer you as it doesn't cost the NHS anything. (I had problems with my knee, GP wanted me to try painkillers and a knee support for a bit - as soon as I mentioned BUPA he was happy to refer me to an orthopedic surgeon straight away.)