cost of private health care

[Slick]

I've heard that if something goes wrong with private healthcare the NHS tell you to go back to whoever did it, and get them to sort it out.

Really?

 

[oldwheels]

Being pretty ancient and with a somewhat checkered medical history it would probably be cheaper for me to pay any bills rather than insurance premiums. That is assuming any insurance company would contemplate taking me on which I think is doubtful.
NHS Scotland will just have to keep me going and I have no doubt they would do their best as always.

 

[PaulSB]

I know of several highly regarded orthopaedic knee experts who only have private practice and neither are in central London.
Anyhow…
Wait times aside, the benefits of private HC for me are…

Choosing which Consultant to see and knowing I’ll see the same Consultant for duration of care (indeed that I’ll see a Consultant at every appointment and he/she will deliver the care, surgery, injections in my case)

Have appointment at a time and location that works for me and knowing I’ll be seen within 15 minutes of appointment time, no long clinic waits in the middle of the working day

Most recently being able to move surgery to a new date without issue and knowing that it is extremely unlikely to be cancelled at the last minute (never happened across numerous orthopaedic ops in the last 12 or so years)

My experience of private physio is also much better than NHS with proper hands on treatment and without ridiculous waits between appointments (please come back in 2-3 weeks, oh sorry we have no appointments for at least 6).
Similarly private counselling, 3 month wait to even speak to someone

And free car parking at the hospital

YMMV

It's easy to praise private health care when all it costs you is a bit of tax. Possibly if we all paid an adequate level of tax the NHS would be able to match these standards.

 

[vickster]

It's easy to praise private health care when all it costs you is a bit of tax. Possibly if we all paid an adequate level of tax the NHS would be able to match these standards.

Assuming you mean income tax, I pay plenty of tax as a higher rate taxpayer who makes little use of public services in general (I have no children receiving free childcare, education and healthcare, live in a house I’ve paid for, have never claimed benefits, even only get 25% off council tax as a single person).
I also pay all manner of other taxation. Indeed that tax for the private HC goes to the treasury (as well as the insurance tax my employer presumably pays). As I said, for the 6 years I was self employed I paid for it out of pocket from net income.

I’m not praising private healthcare specifically but it works for me and means I haven’t used NHS resources for the various operations I’ve needed (including the ones when I was knocked off my bike!)

Why should I pay more tax 🤷‍♀️

What about you and your family?

 

[gzoom]

It's easy to praise private health care when all it costs you is a bit of tax. Possibly if we all paid an adequate level of tax the NHS would be able to match these standards.

Quite a few of my colleagues love private healthcare, its partly what keeps the local private schools and AstonMartin dealers busy!!! Its a 'win-win' for all .

 

[vickster]

Quite a few of my colleagues love private healthcare, its partly what keeps the local private schools and AstonMartin dealers busy!!! Its a 'win-win' for all .

Plus the extra high rate tax they pay on their additional earnings, so the treasury wins too

 

[gzoom]

Plus the extra high rate tax they pay on their additional earnings, so the treasury wins too

I'm not sure about that, as everyone apart from me seems to have a private company. Corporation tax is 20% versus 50%+ for PAYE.

Private work is fine, but not something for me either as source of income or service.

 

[vickster]

I'm not sure about that, as everyone apart from me seems to have a private company. Corporation tax is 20% versus 50%+ for PAYE.

Private work is fine, but not something for me either as source of income or service.

20% of a fair amount is better than 0% of nothing if there were no private healthcare which is presumably what @PaulSB is advocating
I think corporation tax is going up too?

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Shouldn't this be in the dark place?

 

[PaulSB]

Assuming you mean income tax, I pay plenty of tax as a higher rate taxpayer who makes little use of public services in general (I have no children receiving free childcare, education and healthcare, live in a house I’ve paid for, have never claimed benefits, even only get 25% off council tax as a single person).
I also pay all manner of other taxation. Indeed that tax for the private HC goes to the treasury (as well as the insurance tax my employer presumably pays). As I said, for the 6 years I was self employed I paid for it out of pocket from net income.

I’m not praising private healthcare specifically but it works for me and means I haven’t used NHS resources for the various operations I’ve needed (including the ones when I was knocked off my bike!)

Why should I pay more tax 🤷‍♀️

What about you and your family?

Ah the old "I pay plenty of tax" argument. The point is if we all paid a realistic level of taxes for the services we demand the country would be in a far better position.

I'm not sure what this has to do with my family? Personally I'm not a taxpayer as my income is below the tax allowance. When I worked I paid the taxes required, I could though have afforded to pay more. That is the point, we could and should all pay higher taxes.

 

[presta]

@Slick I've never had private healthcare, let alone had complications, so I don't know, but the consensus on the AF forum seems to be that once you go private you've burnt your boat with the NHS.

How long do you have to wait for yours? I don’t remember my father having to wait too long for his, although the first was postponed for a medical reason when he was checked pre op (granted that was pre Covid)

As far as I know, I'm not getting one.

I was offered a PVI for my AF in July 2013 but then after I accepted it in August 2014 they never did it.

 

[Slick]

@Slick I've never had private healthcare, let alone had complications, so I don't know, but the consensus on the AF forum seems to be that once you go private you've burnt your boat with the NHS.



As far as I know, I'm not getting one.

I was offered a PVI for my AF in July 2013 but then after I accepted it in August 2014 they never did it.

I'm sorry but I don't understand the statement about burning your boat. No matter what deal I may or may not have with a private provider will have no effect on my care if I turn up at A&E requiring treatment and I'm gobsmacked you think there would be a problem.

 

[gzoom]

@Slick the consensus on the AF forum seems to be that once you go private you've burnt your boat with the NHS.

My day job which I get paid a pretty handsome sum for is in a senior position in one of the largest NHS organisations around, though I have no specific 'love' for private health care, I can tell you with 100% certainty no one can 'burn' anything with the NHS. The point of the NHS is to provide the best care possible for anyone in the UK regardless of your ability to pay, the fact you have gone private and now needs help doesn't make a difference either way.

 

[midlife]

Depends on what it is. Life threatening stuff gets treated on the NHS as do acute complications of private care.

There’s a whole raft of other stuff the NHS doesn’t deal with or may do depending on circumstance. PIP implants for example.

In my sphere people having issues with private“Turkey Teeth” don’t get any NHS treatment to sort it out just treatment to manage pain and pathology. Same for remediation of most Dentistry carried out under private contract in the UK.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

My day job which I get paid a pretty handsome sum for is in a senior position in one of the largest NHS organisations around

And from the outside that is one of the biggest issues whether that is fair or not I don't know