Private medical insurance???

Hi Micky,

I don't know for sure but I'd be very suprised if a private insurance company would cover you for a pre existing condidtion and evan if they did I imagine the premiums would be eye watering!

To give some idea of the likely cost of going private, I did pay for a 45 minute private consultation followed by a CT scan about six months ago and that set me back just short of £1000 and the irony was that when, a month or so later, I did get my NHS appointment it turned out to be with the exactly same guy!

You don't say if you've seen a consultant yet or are waiting for an appointment. Mty advice would be to keep on pestering people (your GP, the hospital, whoever). I'm afraid the situation seems to be that those who sit back and wait patiently wait forever! Something else that might be worth looking at is the NHS 18 week 'pathway' - you'll find information about it on the internet.

Good Luck!!

Hi Micky,

Sorry to hear about what sounds like a nightmare! I too have recently had my third bout of surgery for Crohns and I had to pester quite hard to get anywhere.

Like you I got so frustrated I looked at the private option but as I say having spent around £1000 for one consultation and a scan I dreaded to think what the cost of surgery might be and so was forced back down the NHS route.

One thing I did find out was this 18 week 'maximum waiting time' that is supposed to exist. Try Googling 'NHS waiting times 18 weeks' and look for the site 'Guide to NHS Waiting Times - Patient Choice' (I tried to cut and paste the link but it didn't work! You might be suprised to see that, quote, 'You have the legal right to start your non-emergency NHS consultant-led treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral'. I quoted this to the hospital on one occasion and was told 'It's only a target' but I pointed out that the NHS website describes it as a 'legal right' which is clearly not the same thing. I did eventually contact my CCG (Care Commisoning Group) and asked their advice on making a formal complaint as my hospital was in clear breach of the 18 week threshold. They offered to investigate the situation and lo and behold everything suddenly started to move quite quickly.

Sorry for my equally essay like reply.

Hope things work out for you.

 

Hi mickey

I have had Crohns for 20 years private insurance won't cover you and is v expensive take a different angle does your health authority have a Ibs/ Crohns nurse ? If so they are very knowledgable and will emperthise with you keep ringing your specialists secatary they do have cancelations also if you have an out of hours service ring them the Dr you see has the power to admit you into hospital not everyone knows that lastly if all else fails ring an ambulance I know we keep keep being told to only ring for strokes heart artacks etc but people do ring because of people like you that are sick and tired of waiting take my word for it I've been there and done most of the above private medical insurance isn't the answer mate Jon

I was on mezalazine for nearly 20 years I was getting painful flare ups to cut a long story short I had a colonoscopy which showed I have a 12 inch stricture I was put on azaphipine but I had very sore feet and terrible fatigue so I was stopped for mercaptopurine X1 tablet and was a lot better but some pain returned so the dose was upped to 2 tablets but the side effects I had with the azaphipine retuned I've recently stopped taking all the meds for a week and started taking one again and it's a lot better what meds are you on have you ever taken azaphipine ? If so how did you find it ? I'm having blood tests every 2 weeks Jon 

Hi Micky

I fully understand your aggravation and I wish I could tell you that things will get better. Sadly they won't, you will find you have to fight for everything. Have you tried to contact your local NACC group? They will be able to give you a great deal of information about what you can do, including Private Insurance and who to go to for it. Although I was diagnosed with Crohn's when I was 21, I did have employment some years later who offered  Private Medical Insurance as an incentive, and under this scheme I was able to have my Colostomy done, which cost somewhere in the region of £10,000, some 25 years ago. Unfortunately, I feel that if you join Medical Insurance now, you have to admit to your particular problems and it may well be that you are unable to claim for this condition for 2 years, in some cases they will not cover it at all. So I think it is perhaps better to find information about other Hospitals which you can go to, and who will give you the care and attention that is needed. In the main, it should be available to you on the nhs. I totally understand your wish to be dealt with properly, but I feel you are possibly in an area where they don't consider Crohn's to be that serious, and are spending money on different complaints. Sorry not to be more helpful, but do try NACC. One of my friend's is the Chair of the local Group and her daughter is seeing different specialists in different hospitals for complications she has suffered from her Crohn's. So once again, it boils down to who you know to help you.  Sorry not to be able to help you more.  Bestd wishes  Sheila