Is Private Health Insurance worth it for a farmer?

[curlietailz]

Just considering taking out Private Health Insurance
Looking at the “big 3”. BUPA, Aviva,axa

just wondering what other farmers opinions are ?
Currently our NHS is pretty good in our area
But things appear to be declining as a whole
So is the £50-£80/month worth it?

 

[PI Stsker]

I have bupa, to be honest the level and quality of care is the same as NHS, just shorter waiting times. So good if you need a new knee and don’t want to wait 18 months on the NHS que you can join the 3 week bupa Que. more often than not it’s the same doctor / consultant / surgeon

 

[workin f nowt]

How long do you need to have paid in before you can claim does anyone know

 

[Gordon Geko]

How long do you need to have paid in before you can claim does anyone know

put same money into saving/investment then use to go private if needed

 

[curlietailz]

How long do you need to have paid in before you can claim does anyone know

Good question
The standard wording seems to be Moritorium Underwriting so your cover starts the day you take the policy, but excludes anything that you’ve had treatment or advice on in the past 5 years ie if you talked to the doctor about something, I reckon even if you didn’t need treatment
Then, if you don’t need treatment or advice in the next 2 years, all those exclusions then become covered

so
The trick is to start cover when you are fit enough not to need it !

 

[DaveGrohl]

put same money into saving/investment then use to go private if needed

Not the worst idea in the world either. Depends how old/healthy you are though.

I paid in to private health cover for a long time without ever claiming. Then got hip done near the start of Covid with it, avoided the queues which were long. That one op justified all I’d paid in. Now I’m getting older I’m likely to claim more. Health costs are only going one way.

 

[Gedd]

put same money into saving/investment then use to go private if needed

Thats what ive done paid bupa for a few years cancelled it and put premium in a,savings account quite a nice sum now and if needed for private medical care its there if not well its mine not theres

 

[nick...]

Had it here for years.guess it’s one of the things you pay and hope you never need.had the odd visit and faster than nhs.
nick…

 

[Boysground]

Used to pay for it, when the milk price was at its very lowest had to give it up, was just too much. Following year i had cataracts and now my son needs a serious back operation. With juniors back the nhs is so slow we are looking to pay ourselves.

Seriously thinking of starting the health insurance again

Bg

 

[curlietailz]

I think personal circumstances have a lot to do with it too
I’m my own case there is just me, son who’s 26 and a mother who’s 84
All the rest of my close family have either managed to die or moved to a foreign country ( Australia and Wales!) so I’ve recently been visiting someone who has terminal cancer and she’s been in both a NHS hospital and a private hospital and although her treatment was timely and appropriate on the NHS the private hospital is like being in a fancy hotel with continuous maid service
So unless my son marries ( and to a patient kind nursey type lady pretty soon) I’m better off with private health care while I’m still fit ( so it’s cheaper) and there’s nowt much ailing me.

the comprehensive BUPA quote was less than what I’m spending on Sky telly !
Priorities and all that

 

[BRBX]

Been paying for about 5 year now not claimed at all , my thinking was I wouldn't give a similar size bill for a tractor repair a second thought and really we are all the most important machine on the farm so no brainer

 

[HarryB97]

The surgeons etc are the same most of the time, what you are buying is speed. Speed of recovery is more important for business owners and especially people like farmers who generally work alone. A wise move if you are getting on in years!

 

[Red Fred]

I put off having my hip done through covid but it has been slowing me up more and more so I decided to get things in motion again and get on the NHS waiting list as I have heard horror stories about the waiting times on the NHS. I must say they were pretty quick, I was having the XRays within a week or so, then given a choice of 7 or 8 hospitals across Hampshire region, one of which is the private one near Salisbury. I clicked that one and was given a consultation slot just 6 days after the first approach, so they are seeing me at 7.30 pm tonight. If i chose the NHS hospital at Bournemouth, it would have been 13 or 14 weeks for a consultation. I am still getting it done on the NHS but they sub contract it to the private sector.

 

[Kernow Star]

Been paying for about 5 year now not claimed at all , my thinking was I wouldn't give a similar size bill for a tractor repair a second thought and really we are all the most important machine on the farm so no brainer

My wife and I said exactly the same when we started our policy earlier this year.

 

[nick...]

With bupa you get 24/7 access to doctors or any other help required.I get 1/2 emails a week from them regarding all sorts of stuff.
nick…

 

[tullah]

Just look how much BUPA increase the remewal premium if you've had a claim during the year. They ratchet up premiums after a claim , never getting back to what it was with a no claims discount like car insurance operates.

 

[Red Fred]

They keep putting an ad on the radio for one-off private surgery at a local clinic They quote £10,500 for a new hip with a 4 week lead time.

 

[puppet]

You are paying for convenience to get routine treatment sooner. You will be operated on by the consultant you see rather than a supervised middle grade surgeon.
If you are ill stick to the NHS. They have all the backup support.

 

[BuskhillFarm]

Yes it’s the one and only insurance I don’t begrudge the money too, cheaper than what the tractor costs to insure and have used if for a few minor things, and a private hospital trip for the wee fella which made a crappy experience a lot nicer for him.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Not the worst idea in the world either. Depends how old/healthy you are though.

I paid in to private health cover for a long time without ever claiming. Then got hip done near the start of Covid with it, avoided the queues which were long. That one op justified all I’d paid in. Now I’m getting older I’m likely to claim more. Health costs are only going one way.

Has your premium gone up since the hip?