Getting a vasectomy on the NHS

groovy_yank, welcome to the NHS. 

I would take Ex-Pats advise. Waiting lists, post code lottery....forget it.

If you guys really want it then £100 is certainly worth it. Go private.

It only costs about £100 or so privately.

I had no idea it was so cheap. But does that include any pre-visits with the doc, tests, post-visits, etc? I would imagine it runs into many hundreds when it's all said and done. Which still isn't bad, but with my health issues and mounting bills and insurance company not paying me back (or when they claim they sent a check, they mail it without listing a zip code or country and I never get the check!), I hate to add any more expense. I'm sure we'll pay for a vasectomy eventually, it's just a shame the NHS takes care of so little.

I had no idea it was so cheap. But does that include any pre-visits with the doc, tests, post-visits, etc? I would imagine it runs into many hundreds when it's all said and done. Which still isn't bad, but with my health issues and mounting bills and insurance company not paying me back (or when they claim they sent a check, they mail it without listing a zip code or country and I never get the check!), I hate to add any more expense. I'm sure we'll pay for a vasectomy eventually, it's just a shame the NHS takes care of so little.

No.  A friend of mine's husband just had it here a couple of months back and it was £168 in total.

The NHS saved my life and that of my baby.  We were in dire need of treatment. 

I tend to see the NHS in that light - the priority on very, very urgent cases.

And if you can afford to pay, why not? 

I mean, we've all got bills.

FWIW, many people advised you to take care of some of your specialist issues whilst in the States before moving here, as the NHS certainly isn't the same as the US in many ways.

The NHS is there for those who need treatment.  I understand your situation, groovy_yank, but it is an elective procedure, not a life threatening one or one relating to a sickness.  Because the NHS is free at the point of delivery they have to, quite reasonably in my opinion, prioritise their funds.  This is why cosmetic procedures and elective vasectomies or even elective cesearians are not available on the NHS. 


Vicky

vicky & expat- i agree with your analysis- i agree that the NHS must prioritize. 

i just question how the local pct trust can compare the ongoing cost of contraceptives (which are free), unwanted terminations, delivery costs VERSUS a one-off snip-snip. 

sounds like an unsound decision, money wise.

vicky & expat- i agree with your analysis- i agree that the NHS must prioritize. 

i just question how the local pct trust can compare the ongoing cost of contraceptives (which are free), unwanted terminations, delivery costs VERSUS a one-off snip-snip. 

sounds like an unsound decision, money wise.

They do pay for vasectomy.  That's just it!  It's just that there's a wait for it, and that wait varies by trust. 

If you don't want to wait - and get free birth control in the interim - then your option is to go private, which as I stated earlier costs about £160 in this area.

They do pay for vasectomy.  That's just it!  It's just that there's a wait for it, and that wait varies by trust. 

If you don't want to wait - and get free birth control in the interim - then your option is to go private, which as I stated earlier costs about £160 in this area.

They wouldn't even put us on a waiting list. Where have you seen it for £160? I looked online and found several places that do it locally, and all were £400 and up.

www.mariestopes.co.uk £395
www.bpas.org.uk £360
www.calthorpe-clinic.co.uk   £335

these are the only three i know about. 

They wouldn't even put us on a waiting list. Where have you seen it for £160? I looked online and found several places that do it locally, and all were £400 and up.

In Edinburgh, probably not your neck of the woods, though.

Sometimes you have to keep badgering them to put you on the list. They don't like to if the male is under a certain age and hasn't fathered any children. 

Also, try phoning rather than just looking online.

i just question how the local pct trust can compare the ongoing cost of contraceptives (which are free), unwanted terminations, delivery costs VERSUS a one-off snip-snip. 

That's not a PCT decision, that's a national government decision.  The PCT couldn't start charging for contraception even if they wanted to.

I would guess that the reason they are reluctant to do the snip in the case of a relatively young man with no children is that they don't want to be saddled with the cost of the reversal op if he changes his mind.

Vicky

And also, if a man really wants a vasectomy, shouldn't he be sorting out himself?

Just a thought, but it may be they are reluctant to put men on the list who are not extremely adamant themselves about insisting the point.

expat- i somewhat agree with you.... but... to play devil's here.

if a woman really wants contraceptive pills (for purely contraceptive reasons), why shouldn't she be sorting that out herself? 

your last point is a good one- from what i understand a vasectomy reversal is much more difficult than a vasectomy.

There are set codes for procedures (called OPCS codes) that are considered fair and reasonable charges by the surgeon and anaesthetist. Not all of them stick to these rates, but the majority of them do. While there will also be regional variation for these charges, I am honestly surprised by the low fee Expat found (not saying it's not reasonable, but it does seem low). I would think the fees Meggles found are about right and I would expect that would cover pathology, too, but maybe not consultations or follow up. Not sure.

I'm not at work now, but if you want, I could find out what the OPCS charges are for this. From that you can at least have info to base your decision on if you go private (i.e. anyone who says it cheaper might need to be queried about what exactly is covered by their quote and vice versa). Knowing what the codes are is certainly a good way to make sure you don't get overcharged!

if a woman really wants contraceptive pills (for purely contraceptive reasons), why shouldn't she be sorting that out herself? 

Um, I don't see where stating the obvious is playing 'devil's here.

A man wants a vasectomy, he goes and gets himself sorted. 

A woman wants pills, tubal ligation, etc., she goes and gets herself sorted.

I did not find a low cost vasectomy, because I was not looking for one.  A friend's husband had one a few months ago up here.  He wanted one and didn't want to wait on the NHS list so he went and sorted it himself.  I just casually asked her how much that ran them, didn't go into further details for obvious reasons.

Um, I don't see where stating the obvious is playing 'devil's here.

A man wants a vasectomy, he goes and gets himself sorted. 

A woman wants pills, tubal ligation, etc., she goes and gets herself sorted.

but, I have never heard of the NHS refusing to pay for BCP.