Private Health Care

Aug 27, 2005 2 Replies
J

Hi,



What are peoples thoughts on the best private health care packages around at the moment. I want to organise private health care cover for myself and my wife, but I want a package that allows true private health cover - i.e, not just a payment when you have to go into an NHS hospital, but something that allows treatment in a private clinic or hospital and without having to wait. And of course, I dont want to pay the earth for it.



Does anybody have experience of this, company recomendations or web sites that compare packages?



Many thanks



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J

There are AFAIK basically only 2 major providers of PHI, namely Bupa and PPP, so your options are a bit limited; you just have to get a quote and pick the cheapest or get a job where this cover is part of the deal.

An alternative is something along the lines of HSA, i.e. a healthcare cashplan scheme, which I think you were referring to in your post. Some of these *do* allow you to get treated privately; they pay you a percentage of the cost related to the premiums you paid. So it is not just a benefit paid when you have to use the NHS. I wasn't clear if that was what you were saying.

HSA is the best known such provider, but is not the best value. This article tells you more:-

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Bear in mind that all PH packages (that I've ever come across) require a referral from your GP in the first instance, so you can't get a completely private package through a scheme. You would have to pay for a private GP yourself if you wanted that.

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T

There's an article in today's Daily Telegraph "Your Money" section on the subject. Probably available on-line.

See

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$4&sSheet=/money/2005/08/27/ixperson.html for the article.

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