Private Healthcare in the UK
Posted , 2 users are following.
Hi,
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I'm not entirely sure if this is a right place to ask this sort of question, but I couldn't find any other online forum where it would make more sense.
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My situation is this:
I'm from Poland, but I've been living in the UK for over 2 years now, during which time I didn't really need to see a doctor or to take care of my health urgently. The longer I'm here, the more I'm realising that this is only a matter of time this will become necessary and there's also a number of things concerning my health that might not be urgent, but I'd certainly like to take care of at some point.
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I have a medical insurance from work, which is supposed to be quite good, it's one of the top (or the top) options with BUPA. But my experience with it so far was ultra frustrating.
Because it's an insurance, each time I go to the doctor, I have to check if they work with BUPA, if they have "no fuss claiming" policy (meaning I don't pay in advance to be reimbursed later) , then there's a number of things that are either not covered or excluded in certain circumstances, sometimes they're covered up to amount "X" and only up to "N" times a year, sometimes it won't be covered because my condition is pre-existing, also, each time I need some treatment, I need to get the treatment code and check with BUPA .
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In short: it's a total mess. It makes it unnecessarily hard when it comes to things I NEED to do, but more importantly, is so annoyingly complicated, that it totally discourages me from taking care of things that are not urgent, but nevertheless best checked..
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I see it in contrast to what I know from Poland, where you can pay (or get it from work) for a sort of medical plan with a chain of clinics. You can pay "X" a month and have unlimited number of visits to specialist doctors (without referrals), the people you pay each month are the clinic themselves, so there's no dialogue going back and forth between the clinic and insurer (there's no insurer). I just book visits on their website within minutes. You never pay in advance for things that are covered, and it's always very clear what is and what isn't included in my policy.
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Now, to my question (finally.. sorry for long introduction!) - is there anything similar in the UK? I tried searching online, but all I find are insurance schemes such as BUPA.
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I'd really love to hear your suggestions/thoughts,
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Thanks!
0 likes, 1 reply
Marina_Dee sebastian84027
Posted
Sebastian... as you are working in the UK and I presume living here on a settled basis you are entitled to health care from the NHS.Havent you registered with a GP? At least do this and get yourself an NHS number.You can then talk to a GP on the phone or see them if necessary and if you need to be seen by a Consultant you can ask to be referred privately under your BUPA insurance, if it allows it.
You may be able to find a private GP who will treat you....costs are about £70 for a 15 minute appt and £128 for 30 minutes as a rough guide. They can refer you on to a private consultant if necessary......but only you can tell if this will be covered by BUPA or if you would have to pay yourself. Extra costs would be Private medication and anyone else brought in to help with your treatment.... eg lab tests, nursing, anaesthetist etc etc. If you want to find a private GP you can ask your local practice if they offer this service or you could Google "Private GP near me" and take it from there. It can work out very expensive .