National Health Service
With a population of over 60 million people, the UK has the highest population density in the entire world. This means that in a relatively small geographic area a large amount of people are living and working, and making use of the health care system. Fortunately, the UK has a comprehensive National Health Service (NHS) medical care program, which is financed with tax payer dollars. With this NHS system any resident of the UK can receive necessary medical treatment, free of charge. Started in the 1940s, this NHS medical care system is extremely popular, with more than 92% of UK residents using it exclusively for all of their health treatments. However, in today’s changing world many UK residents are opting for their own private health insurance, something that they feel allows them better control of their overall health and access to more treatment options, within more reasonable time frames.
What is Private Health Insurance?
Private health insurance simply refers to health care coverage that is financed by someone other than the UK government through the NHS. When a person buys their own health insurance through a private medical insurance company, or gets that insurance as a benefit through their workplace, this is private health insurance. There are dozens of companies that offer private health insurance in the UK, most of them experienced in offering insurance throughout the world. Among these companies are Cigna, AXA PPP Healthcare, Aviva Health, and WPA.
Most of the major insurance companies offer a variety of plans to fit every need. These plans include full medical coverage, children’s medical plans, dental insurance, optical insurance, and cash plans which can provide you with income when you are disabled or simply need to cover some out of pocket medical costs.
Why Private Medical Insurance?
One of the biggest benefits of private medical insurance is speed. With private medical insurance you can see the doctors you need, when you want to see them. When it comes to NHS insurance, about 33% of hospital patients have to sit on a waiting list to receive their treatment; often these wait times exceed six weeks, in fact, six weeks is the median wait time. With private insurance you can get treatment much more quickly, getting you on the road to health much faster. Additionally, when you use private medical insurance you know that you will receive the best care, in an environment that is customer focused. A 2004 survey by the UK Department of health revealed that as many as 49% of those who use NHS services did not agree with the statement, “The NHS is providing a good service.” In fact, 30% of those who received emergency care outright said that they were not satisfied with NHS care. With private medical insurance you are likely to have a much more satisfying and expedient health care experience.
Getting the Facts
If you worry that private medical insurance is too expensive, you may be surprised. Plans, costs and coverage vary wildly. In fact, you can purchase an extremely affordable plan simply by choosing an NHS six week provision. While the exact rules of this vary by insurer, most private medical insurance companies have a provision where you can choose to first try to receive NHS services; if the NHS cannot provide you treatment within six weeks then your private health insurance will kick in straight away, providing you the services that you need. In this way, you can have the best of both worlds, low costs yet some assurance that you will receive timely treatment.
Before you can make a decision you need the facts. Contact us today to learn what options are available to better protect you and your family, or even your entire company. Our knowledgeable operators are standing by to help you make the best decision for your personal health care.
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