Who has private health insurance?

[alx]

I really do find this unfair, you are taking pressure away form the NHS and not utilising a service you are paying taxes for you should NOT be taxed for this!

I don't think this is strictly true. Don't consultants/doctors often work for both the NHS and privately - just privately because you're paying you jump the queue and tend to get better service?

Correct me if I'm wrong though as I'm no expert.

 

[memyselfandi]

Yes, as a benefit through work ... but any time I've needed medical treatment recently I've used the NHS as the private medical people have been so rubbish.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I don't think this is strictly true. Don't consultants/doctors often work for both the NHS and privately - just privately because you're paying you jump the queue and tend to get better service?

Correct me if I'm wrong though as I'm no expert.

Not often, but they have do, but it doesn't have to be their main job.

 

[Danthus]

The NHS and the private health care industry share both staff and facilities.

 

[DJMK4]

I have private dental and medical insurance from work yes, the company pay for it, I just pay the tax on it which works out about £4-5 a month IIRC.

I have never used either of them though so far.

 

[Dolph]

I don't think this is strictly true. Don't consultants/doctors often work for both the NHS and privately - just privately because you're paying you jump the queue and tend to get better service?

Correct me if I'm wrong though as I'm no expert.

But it isn't a zero sum game, the consultants don't do private work instead of NHS work, but in addition to, and frequently pay the NHS for use of their facilities.

If everyone who currently goes private waited for the NHS, it would mean longer waits for everyone, the amount of work done by the NHS on a day/week/month basis wouldn't change.

The problem with the NHS is that its structural priorities are all skewed, the customer/client/patient isn't the centre of the operation, but a burden on it, so rather than pushing to give them the best service possible, it is much more desirable to stretch things out and ignore the customer/client/paitient for as long as possible.

Unfortunately, this won't change until the customer/client/patient is in control of the allocation of budget to the hospital that does the treatment, even if the budget itself is still distributed centrally.

 

[Larkspeed]

I pay 48 pounds per month for comprehensive cover with Bupa.

Looks like you still have it easy in the UK then.

Here there is no free healthcare everyone pays. If I remember correctly our family health insurance without dental is around 450 Euro a month, tack another couple of hundred on there if you want dental.

Of course if you get sick they will treat you but you will get a rather large bill.

I will consider it as I get older however being only 21 and *touch wood* fit and healthy it's not really a worry of mine.

Don't make that mistake m8. I used to think the same thing and then at 18 I wrapped my car around a pole and required over $30,000 dollars worth of reconstructive surgery and out patient care. I was very lucky as I was living in Canada at the time and it was picked up by medicare. In the UK I would have been royaly screwed.

 

[xarr]

Until complications in your surgery, obviously, when you'll be back to the NHS PDQ...

Bingo, lets look at the list of exclusions from BUPA's top end plan.

Ageing, menopause and puberty
AIDS / HIV‡
Allergies or allergic disorders
Birth control, conception, sexual problems and sex changes‡
Chronic conditions‡
Complications from excluded or restricted conditions / treatment
Contamination, wars and riots
Convalescence, rehabilitation and general nursing care‡
Cosmetic, reconstructive or weight loss treatment‡
Deafness
Dental / oral treatment (such as fillings, gum disease, jaw shrinkage etc)‡
Dialysis‡
Drugs and dressings for out-patient or take-home use‡
Experimental drugs and treatment‡
Treatment to correct eyesight (eg long or short sight)‡
HRT and bone densitometry‡
Intensive care
Learning difficulties, behavioural and developmental problems
Overseas treatment and repatriation
Physical aids and devices‡
Pre-existing or special conditions
Pregnancy and childbirth‡
Screening, monitoring and preventive treatment
Sleep problems and disorders
Speech disorders‡
Telephone consultations
Temporary relief of symptoms‡
Unrecognised providers or facilities

Guess what happens when any of these crop up?

Saving the NHS money arguement doesn't wash, if they paid for chronic conditions then they would save the NHS some money...

 

[KaHn]

Bupa through work as a taxable benefit. Never used it tho.

KaHn

 

[Narj]

Bingo, lets look at the list of exclusions from BUPA's top end plan.

Holy carp... That really makes it seem like a waste of money.

 

[Pestilence]

Yes, with BUPA - get it as apart of my benefits package at work.

This. Never had cause to use it, though.

 

[Raymond Lin]

This. Never had cause to use it, though.

Ditto...could've had the cash instead lol

And yes to the exception, my dental is separate through Denplan.

 

[Dr House]

Until complications in your surgery, obviously, when you'll be back to the NHS PDQ...

I am not saying that you should be able to opt out of the NHS all I am saying it is quite unfair that you have to pay additional taxes at the same time as reducing the amount you utilise the NHS.

Holy carp... That really makes it seem like a waste of money.

Yes there is a extensive list of exclusions but it still covers the majority of conditions. Generally you can normally get a private appointment with a consultant within a couple of days compared to several weeks if you have to wait for a NHS appointment.

 

[Jez]

Yes through employment benefit. Its definitely not an NHS replacement though, my father has been in and out of hospital for years with renal issues which private wont cover at all - all has to be through NHS including the transplant itself.

 

[scorza]

I am not saying that you should be able to opt out of the NHS all I am saying it is quite unfair that you have to pay additional taxes at the same time as reducing the amount you utilise the NHS.

Nope because every civilised country in the world has a universal healthcare system, in the UK we have the NHS funded by taxation, in France you have a compulsory healthcare insurance premium to pay - what's the difference?

Yes there is a extensive list of exclusions but it still covers the majority of conditions. Generally you can normally get a private appointment with a consultant within a couple of days compared to several weeks if you have to wait for a NHS appointment.

You could get an NHS appointment quicker if private patients weren't queue jumping.

 

[Castiel]

Nope because every civilised country in the world has a universal healthcare system, in the UK we have the NHS funded by taxation, in France you have a compulsory healthcare insurance premium to pay - what's the difference?

He is not on about National Insurance or income tax per se, he is refering to the benefit in kind taxation that we pay in addition to the usual taxation. Why should someone pay MORE tax for using LESS services.

You could get an NHS appointment quicker if private patients weren't queue jumping.

False, the queues would be longer as many appointments for private patients are refered to private hospitals.

 

[Raymond Lin]

He is not on about National Insurance or income tax per se, he is refering to the benefit in kind taxation that we pay in addition to the usual taxation. Why should someone pay MORE tax for using LESS services.

Yup, on top of NI (which btw, I pay double as I have my photography thing...), and through work I get BUPA. In order to get BUPA my tax code has changed, the threshold has been lowered!

 

[scorza]

He is not on about National Insurance or income tax per se, he is refering to the benefit in kind taxation that we pay in addition to the usual taxation. Why should someone pay MORE tax for using LESS services.

But you're not getting less service, you're getting more service - access to healthcare via the NHS and private providers. You're paying more tax because insurance costs money, paid for by your company making it equivalent to income and subject to taxation. In my example of France, I believe the situation is that everyone has to pay the universal healthcare premium, and those can afford it pay for top-up healthcare premiums. I don't see any fundamental difference between that and what we have - other than we spend a lot less on healthcare than they do in France.

 

[Morba]

its really not as expensive as people think. I pay 48 pounds per month for comprehensive cover with Bupa.

For someone earning as much money as you, no its not expensive. For the majority of the country though it is a 'luxury' extra that most people cannot justify paying, especially not when it comes to families.

I bet most people that have it here, on ocuk, would not have it if it was not given as a benefit through their work.

 

[chimaera]

The government would never reduce NI to those with private healthcare, because most of the people who do are this countries main tax payers - the middle class. I would bet that if 10% of people have private healthcare, those 10% are paying a lot more than that percentage in overall NI contributions.