Private Medical Insurance: The Pro’s and Con’s

Private Medical Insurance is not a necessity, it’s a luxury and like most luxuries you pay the (high) price. A recent BUPA survey suggest that Britons have had enough of long waiting lists, risk of infection and at times poor service from the NHS, with 65% stating that access to clean hospitals was the most important reason for taking out private medical insurance.

Private Healthcare Advantages:

With a constant growing population who are living longer, the NHS is struggling to keep up with the health care demands in terms of both time and costs.

The Department of Health statistics show further concerns regarding the NHS waiting list. With nearly 544,000 people waiting to be admitted to hospitals around the UK in August 2008 alone, and an average wait of 4.5 weeks shows shocking numbers of possibly really ill people having to wait to receive the treatment they require.

When you hear the words ‘private medical insurance’ you also think of the word ‘expensive’, but going private has many advantages. Differing from the NHS waiting list there are no lengthy queues with private health care, so you won’t have to wait long between referral and treatment.

Private medical insurance can also provide peace of mind, at a possibly turbulent time and ensure that you will be looked after by the best possible care and without the risk of MRSA, which is a constant worry with NHS care.

One of the biggest advantages of private medical insurance means that when admitted to hospital under their care you get your own private room, there are no crowded wards with people coming and going all the time disturbing you. In some hospitals there are also en suite bathrooms so you don’t have to share any of your space – not all hospitals have this facility though.

Private Healthcare Disadvantages:

The biggest reason so many people still rely on the NHS for their health care is due to the high cost of private medical insurance. Those on a lower income simply cannot afford the price of certain types of treatment, only those with a higher income can afford the luxury and security of privileged health care.

Although some consider the treatment from private health care is second to none, NHS specialists are usually the ones who are at the cutting edge of modern medicine; a little extra wait could mean you get better treatment just at the cost of a longer waiting period – without the paying the higher cost.

Furthermore, not all heath related conditions are covered, so it depends on your policy and any previous medical conditions. It is key to not that most policies only cover short-term illness or injury, which means you, may not be covered when you think you are.

In most cases getting exactly what you pay for is a good thing, but when it comes to private medical insurance this really is the case...no more, no less. The general rule is the more cover you want, the higher your premium will be.

A lot of people are under the illusion that private health care doctors are exactly that, ‘private’, but that is not the case – they in fact also work for the NHS, which means your treatment will be given when he/she is free from working for then NHS.

There are many private medical insurance pro’s and con’s, but the conclusion is that if you have the money for private health care and don’t have time for long waiting lists then it could be perfect for you. However, if you can’t afford the financial restraints that private health care can drain, which as the current recession continues is understandable, you might think private medical insurance is just that little bit out of your reach.

- K.J.N -