National Helath Insurance - or should we upgrade

We are relocating from Chicago to Sheffield.  My self, my husband and my 3 year old daughter for a position at the University of Sheffield.  We are applying under Tier 2 sponsored visa and spouse and family.  We will qualify for the National Health Insurance but he has the option in his contract to purchase additional coverage.

Do we need additional private coverage?  Should we buy this?   We are all healthy and are used to bad HMO's so I don't foresee us using a great deal of coverage except for emergencies and preventive care for my daughter.  I don't see this as necessary but as I have not navigated the UK health system maybe I am missing something.   

Please advise - do we need more than the national plan?

To be honest, private insurance really isn't all that necessary because you still have to go through the NHS for most health issues anyway. In order to have a check up or get a prescription you must go to an NHS doctor; to be diagnosed with a problem or illness, it usually must be done by an NHS doctor; referrals to private hospitals for problems have to go through the NHS and the emergency rooms are run by the NHS. All private insurance will really do is bump you to the front of the line for a non-emergency procedure which would have otherwise had a long NHS waiting list (i.e. a hip replacement) or are not always covered by the NHS (i.e. non-essential cosmetic surgery). However, in order to use your private insurance, you usually need to be referred by your NHS doctor before you can get treatment.

I'm a Brit and I don't personally know anyone who has private health insurance - most people feel that it is not necessary for what they need it for (i.e. the odd repeat prescription or treatment for a common illness/infection). If they are in an accident and need emergency care, it will be dealt with by the NHS. I'm a relatively healthy person and so I rarely visit the doctor (maybe once or twice a year for a repeat prescription or for a seasonal illness) - I see no point in paying for health insurance when I already get almost all my treatment free at point of delivery... a doctor's appointment costs nothing, my prescriptions are free (the pill - which is free to all) and if I get ill, I might pay a one-off standard prescription charge of £7.20 for antibiotics (if I lived in Wales, all my prescriptions would be free anyway, and in Scotland they would only cost about £4). I just had a travel vaccination for Hepatitis A last week (going to Serbia on Wednesday)... and I didn't pay anything for it at all .

As an example, my grandmother just had a hip replacement. Back in September she was given the choice: wait a couple of months and get it done free on the NHS or pay £10,000 and get it done in a couple of weeks. She decided not to pay for private treatment since the waiting list was only 2-3 months for NHS treatment (sometimes the waiting times can be 1-2 years!). The operation was in January and she stayed in the hospital for about 2 weeks; then she was transferred to a hotel-style care home for a few weeks (she was supposed to go to our local hospital but they didn't have space). Eventually (March/April) she was transferred to the local hospital, but the ward closed in May so she was relocated again to a local care home. Now unfortunately, she has had to have another operation because her hip dislocated (it was her own fault because she didn't do the required exercises to strengthen her new hip and so it seized up), so now she's back in the original hospital again. However, she has now received 5 months of very good NHS treatment and hasn't had to pay a penny for it .

Pretty much what Kand24 said. I do get additional coverage free as part of my work contract, never used it, however if I did need an operation (for example recently I had treatment for my knee) I could use the private if I wanted - I didn't need an operation though.
The vast majority of people do not have any additional private covage, and as stated you have to be referred by the NHS first anyway.

One thing you may want to check though is if any dental coverage is offered.....the dental system works a little differently and even with NHS dentists there are costs to pay, it can also be difficult to get on the books at an NHS dentist - however they are required to give children free treatment so it won't be an issue for your daughter.

My DW moved over here last July and has been full of praise for the healthcare she has received.

I used to work for a private health care company in the UK. I agree with the above post for the most part. Private health insurance can make a big difference in wait times, choice of doctors, etc. but it is not necessary for most people.

It can provide a little extra peace of mind, though. Do check into the dental coverage and also see if it covers things like physio/chiropractors, etc. If any of you should require PT, waits can be unreal on the NHS, and when you do finally get there, not very good (I speak from personal experience). If the private health supplement isn't that expensive, I'd probably go for it just for that. But then again, I have back and shoulder problems.

We have private health insurance and it has come in very handy as my rugby playing son has have a few injuries requiring physio.  On the NHS he would have had to wait several weeks to be seen, on private it was just a couple of days.  My other son also had to have a cyst removed from his cheek.  Had the NHS done this it would have just been the GP but private insurance paid for a plastic surgeon.  Hubby also had knee surgery done in a clean hospital with a private room.  NHS hospitals do not provide private or even semi-private rooms except for critical cases.  Also may NHS hospitals still have mixed sex wards which I would find humiliating and disgusting so I am more than happy to pay for private health care

I am really glad I have had private coverage and am now worried as I just switched jobs and I don't think my new private is as good.

I have a chronic illness and have had to have surgery twice while in the UK.  I would have hated it on the NHS.  Yes, my GP did have to refer me to my specialist -- the once, which was like 5 minutes.  And I have seen my specialist dozens of times since.  I do not see my specialist at an NHS hospital but a private one, and likewise had my surgeries there.  The comfort and care was far superior, as were the wait times.  I had my own room and bathroom.  I was checked on as often as was needed and even had a nurse sit with me for quite a while during the night, when things were not going well.  My BF was able to stay until I asked him to leave and came back at the crack of down, to be with me.  I had loads of amenities like TV, the meals were nice and I could always ask for food at an irregular time if I needed, etc.

I do have a point of comparison because after one surgery, I got an infection and was admitted to an NHS hospital via A&E.  I was in a group ward.  There were 3 bathrooms for 20-30 people.  I wasn't even in my correct unit, since the other was full.  Nurses would not come if you pushed the call button and only came during rounds.  The hospital had strict visitors hours which meant my BF could only see me for an hour a day.  There was no TV, though once I was well enough, I figured out that you could pay for TV, which didn't help since I was admitted with virtually nothing with me.  You couldn't get food unless it was meal time, which was a problem as I was nil by mouth for several days.  Once I was allowed to eat, I had to wait literally 6 hours until the next meal.  The ward was filthy, including leaving standing urine for 2 days. I could go on....

Anyway, I love my private care and if my new care isn't as good, I will be willing to pay further out of pocket.

Anyway, I love my private care and if my new care isn't as good, I will be willing to pay further out of pocket.

Unfortunately, you may not qualify. If you had private insurance through an employer, they often get pre-existing conditions covered. I've yet to find a UK health insurance company who will cover pre-existing conditions just for individual cover.

To the OP, that's the other thing to look at. I would suspect a private health insurance package paid for by a University would NOT cover pre-exisiting conditions. Those types of packages are typically private sector, big business type companies.

Noreneh, if you can get your hands on the policy details I'd recommend having a good look at it, as some health issues and procedures just aren't covered.   One things to bear in mind with how the private insurance is offered: if they say that he'll be paying for it in the form of salary sacrifice or if its supplemented through your taxes it may work out more beneficial having the policy as a "just in case" measure.

The two major hospitals in Sheffield (Hallamshire and Northern General) have very good ratings, especially the Jessops wing at the Hallamshire - its one of the best Children's hospitals in the country!  And there are several other hospitals nearby too, depending on where in the Sheffield you move to.  But you'd only go directly to the hospital if referred by your GP in your local surgery first (unless it was an emergency). 

Bear in mind not all NHS hospitals are filthy, overcrowden or horribly run.  Besides, with private care you're seen in an NHS hospital anyway, its just as KSand24 said with private care it just short-lists your cover.  Also, just because you're private doesn't necessarily ensure that you *will* get a private room.  This happened to my friend when she had her baby at Rotherham hospital, the weekend she had her baby happened to be a popular weekend for births, so the few private rooms were all taken; one of them by a non-private mother who had the medical necessity for it...

NHS treatement should be as good as any other treatment in theory. There is no difference in the qualification of the staff but the extras are not available. So dont expect a free newspaper or a nurse to act like a maid, and you will be fine.  A private visit may offer a smaller scar, but the actual treatment will be the same, they will just take special care over the neatness of the stitch. Thats what you pay for.

Thanks to everyone for the information and advice.  It is hard to make decisions from afar with little information and I appreciate the perspective of those who are already there.
 

Besides, with private care you're seen in an NHS hospital anyway, its just as KSand24 said with private care it just short-lists your cover. 

This isn't necessarily true.  In my area there are 2 private hospitals, both wonderfully clean, quiet and efficient.  In the event of an emergency however you would have to go to an NHS hospital.

This isn't necessarily true.  In my area there are 2 private hospitals, both wonderfully clean, quiet and efficient.  In the event of an emergency however you would have to go to an NHS hospital.

I'm not trying to start an argument over this but like NHS care (depending on which Trust you live under) private care isn't always consistent nor does it cover all medical conditions (like cancer for example).  I'm not saying don't get the private health cover or that it's not worth having as it can be an asset as a just in case measure, but you need to be sure of what your policy does and doesn't cover as well as weigh in the overall cost.  In your paycheck you'll be contributing to the NHS anyway so you're already paying for that service, then paying for private care on top of that.  End of the day you always have the NHS to fall back on.

Private hospitals and private medical care *can* at times be two different things...  Private care can be in an NHS hospital or in some cases a private hospitals, but private hospitals are generally for things such as cosmetic surgeries and elective procedures and not all private health insurance will cover it.  Also, a lot of areas don't have fully private hospitals.

If you have BUPA you're seen through the NHS anyway, yes you *may* go to a private hospital, but by and large it is an NHS hospital with private care, but you don't always have a say in where you'd go if you're private, as not all hospitals will offer private care or participate with your provider.  This can result in being sent halfway across the country because of this, despite several NHS hospitals being right on your doorstep.  Yes, in an emergency you will go to an NHS hospital - they won't deny treatment to anyone. 

I use the NHS here in Leeds/Bradford and it is great (esp. our local GPs), but I do have the option through my employer's free private cover to be referred to a private specialist and be treated in a private hospital.  I have only used it once (for my wife's tonsilectomy, which had a 6 month waiting list on the NHS), and had it done within 2 weeks privately, in an amazing hotel like hospital in central Leeds.

I will be honest that I have an ethical dilemma with healthcare that makes a profit, but ... I guess if it's not much more money for you, you may want to have it as a back up option, but you will still have to use the NHS to get referred.

When you arrive in Sheffield, ask around for recommendations for a good GP, as they are the gatekeepers to the system and if you've got a good GP, they'll organise things quickly for you, whether it's on the NHS or privately.

Like previous posters have said, having private healthcare cover is rare here, so I guess that's a sign the NHS will look after you!