Does your company provide private healthcare? Vitality...

SideWinder

SideWinder

SideWinder

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The company I work for, randomly, said I am now covered by Vitality. The portal is incredible and looks like I am covered for all healthcare costs ranging from dental check-ups, eye tests plus lots of reward discounts (75% off stays at Champneys) etc.

Just curious, as I am actually starting to look for a new role in January or so, if other companies provide this kind of thing? Or am I getting something 'extra' special?

Trying to gauge my position really.

Worst 'I now have private healthcare' thread ever.

EDIT: To confirm, I am not paying for this so nothing out of my salary.
 
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Depends on size of the company and your seniority, but I've had health insurance for quite a while over various employers.
 
Company I used to work for did Vitality - and yeah it's pretty good, especially if you work up to the higher tiers through walking, going to the gym regularly etc.
Current one doesn't offer anything, despite being (or possibly because of being) quite a bit bigger.

Don't forget it's classed as a benefit, so you will most likely be taxed on it (although it's still significantly cheaper than paying for it yourself) - iirc I was paying ~£20-30/month in BIK
 
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SideWinder said:
The company I work for, randomly, said I am now covered by Vitality. The portal is incredible and looks like I am covered for all healthcare costs ranging from dental check-ups, eye tests plus lots of reward discounts (75% off stays at Champneys) etc.

Just curious, as I am actually starting to look for a new role in January or so, if other companies provide this kind of thing? Or am I getting something 'extra' special?

Trying to gauge my position really.

Worst 'I now have private healthcare' thread ever.
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Every job I look at provides some degree of private health cover these days.

Vitality one I have at the moment is pretty crap, doesn't cover much, has an excess. I've had Bupa and Axa and in the past...if I got to choose, it would be Axa....but it all depends really what level of cover your employer pays for....although you can usually upgrade it out of your own pocket.
 
My company provides this too. Me, wife and children all covered. They tend to change providers every few years, so not currently on Vitality - but that hasn't stopped them sending me emails !
 
We get Aviva once you hit the 5th year at my place costs me £18 I think BIK tax a month and has decent cover (big multinational). OH got the same after I think 12 months at her place (relatively big UK/IE company).
 
Depending on what you do for a job, I didn't think it was unusual to be offered membership of a healthcare program

I declined it up until 6 years ago (didn't want to pay the tax) but then relented, sucked up the cost and what a benefit it turned out to be
The first year I developed some weird auto-immune disorder and the NHS had me in a holding pattern, undiagnosed for 3 months and in quite a lot of pain. Used my healthcare and on the first appointment with a consultant, got a general diagnosis followed by appointments with 2 other specialists (jobs for the boys/girls), and by month 5 I was properly diagnosed and medicated. Not quite a lifesaver but pretty sure I would have been hanging around > 6 months to even start getting a proper diagnosis, and who knows how long to actually get it confirmed. I could have paid myself to go private, of course, but once you are in the system, there seems to be a tendency to check every avenue and I can only guess what the cost-creep would have been. Being on the healthcare scheme, I had no worries

Also in the last 6 years:
  • foot op for my OH - not sure how long the NHS would have taken and she was in quite a bit of pain and her ability to walk a decent distance was reducing monthly
  • shoulder/elbow op for my stepson, again, not sure how long this would have taken on the NHS, it wasn't critical, but after being a regular gym goer for 5 years, he'd stopped going completely, and was beginning to have trouble using a car gearstick
  • knee problems investigated by MRI
My advice would be if you are over 50 definitely enrol on a scheme if your employer offers it - I'm currently deciding how bad my knee is, and whether to hang on at work for a few more years and get a replacement before I retire and lose the scheme benefits
 
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tom_e said:
We get Aviva once you hit the 5th year at my place costs me £18 I think BIK tax a month and has decent cover (big multinational). OH got the same after I think 12 months at her place (relatively big UK/IE company).
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Jeez - the BIK for mine is ~£2,300 pa so approx £75 a month
 
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My wife had it through her previous employer (BUPA iirc) and it was very useful.

She had a referral to an immunologist at a private hospital for an allergy. The appointment was 2 weeks after the initial referral, instead of many years on an NHS waiting list.

Her colleague had shoulder surgery through them at a private hospital, and the whole process was paid for by the medical cover.
 
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Firestar_3x said:
Yes BUPA which covers us both, OH has vitality too.
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Are you not unnecessarily paying for 2 lots of BIK?

Freddie1980 said:
My company does through AXA, it's handy for this like physiotherapy but it won't help you if you have pre existing conditions.
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It's quite common for pre-existing conditions to be excluded
The other common feature is that schemes tend to cover "short-term curable conditions" only
 
We have Aviva cover, just pay BIK

previous conditions are not excluded

£30k claim 2 years ago paid with no problems at all
 
Pipe & Slippers said:
Are you not unnecessarily paying for 2 lots of BIK?
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We have some overlap yes.

BUPA covers me & OH for everything, the company provides us with the best coverage going.

Not looked into Vitality too much but does not cover me anyway and seems to be more of as "get healthy" perk, with very limited real world medical cover (least thats my understanding), vs BUPA i.e. end to end cancer treatment etc.
 
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Every company I’ve worked for has included some kind of medical cover. Except the last one. Guess when I needed it?
 
Having just paid 3k for a private test today health I'll be looking out for this in my next job for sure
 
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