With the NHS in a bit of a sorry state with lengthy waiting lists for many operations (and in some cases even for consultations) and some hospitals refusing to provide certain life saving treatments, it’s no wonder an increasing number of people are turning to private healthcare companies as an alternative.
But with so many different private healthcare companies, each offering several different levels of cover, it can be highly confusing trying to figure out who to go with. Often the advertised packages can seem very similar between the companies, and the prices quoted might be introductory rates not showing the cost you’ll eventually pay. To add to the confusion it’s hard to find a positive genuine review of any of the companies seen as the only people who seem minded to review private health insurers are those who have had problems with them. This website hopes to give you some guidance in making the choice, both with our own summaries of customer experiences with private health companies as well as user written reviews.
Firstly though, consider why you want to go private. It might be that your employer has given you a credit towards it, thinking it will save them money through less sick days. If this is the case you obviously should get the best deal you can for the money they provide. If you’re looking to purchase private healthcare using your own funds then the choice becomes more complicated – you have to work out if getting an more expensive policy is more worthwhile than putting that money into a rainy-day savings account and going with a more basic package. Here it depends what you’re wanting from private healthcare, if it’s just to get seen quicker a basic package will usually do. If you’re wanting to always see the very best consultants and ensure all your after care is included then you’ll be better off going for a more comprehensive cover. There are plenty of ways to look obtain discounted critical illness insurance.
Of course getting private healthcare needn’t involve getting insurance or cover. You might have a specific illness that is pre-existing and won’t be covered by an insurance company anyway, or you might simply want to speed up having one problem solved but not want to commit to paying premiums for years. In this case you need to get a referral from your GP, but you can look privately for a consultant to see you and quote you directly. Some people also prefer to put their money into a savings account to pay for private treatment rather than paying an insurer. There’s obvious risks that if you develop an expensive illness this might not work out, but for many this will cost less than getting cover. With regards to healthcare there are all kinds of life insurance cover, including smokers life insurance.
This site is mainly here to review these private healthcare insurance providers as they are the route most take into the private sector for their healthcare. Individual private hospitals often will work with multiple healthcare providers are there are simply too many of them to review them all. Instead we hope our site will help you make an informed decision of which provider to go with, then let you do the research into which hospital and consultant you need independently.