cost of private health insurance??

We are looking into taking on private health insurance after a couple of short term illnesses in the family.
I know it will vary depending on the company and the options you choose, but all companies want a full write-up before giving you a quote.
The only figure I've come upon is a middle of the road policy would be around £1,000 a year.
Can anyone fill me in on what they or others they know pay and if its minimal,middle-of-the-road or the full monty coverage?
Many thanks in advance.
Holly

If you go for one of the policies that have shared responsibility, you'll pay less monthly but be responsible for a certain amount of the bills until you hit the set ceiling.

I can't tell you what I pay as I get insurance through my employer (who happens to be a health insurance provider!).

Do be careful about declaring all your medical history. There aren't a lot of private health insurance companies who will cover you for pre-existing conditions  - be it abnormal cervical smears, a kids ear problems, migraines, or more serious conditions.

my company pays £330 for me to be covered.  but it doesn't cover any conditions for which i've had treatment/seen a dr in the last 3 yrs.  if you took out private health insurance now, and have recently had a illness, it will most likely not be covered if it reoccurs again soon.

i've look at getting cover privately, and it was anything from £25 - £60/month.  what these different companies cover varies widely. 

also- please note private health insurance here in the UK generally works much differently than the US.  in the UK, you still go to your GP for general care, and the private health insurance kicks in only under certain conditions (you need to see a specialist, you're quoted x number of weeks b/f you can see specialist, you're diagnoised with certain conditions, etc)

I hadn't heard about having to wait to see a specialist a certain number of weeks or that it will only cover certain conditions. None of the plans our company sells do that as far as I'm aware.

You might try using one of these comparison sites if cost is your main issue:

http://www.healthinsurancegroup.co.uk/?gclid=COD284CQ1I0CFQJsXgodNUV6ew

My company is well regarded for customer service but is not necessarily one of the cheaper options.

I don't have a cost estimate for you, as I use my COBRA from the U.S. and it costs four times that of any plan I found here. But I keep it because I have a pre-existing condition. Which is why I would encourage you to pick your insurance sooner rather than later, before you need to use it -- as Balmerhon said earlier, these UK policies either won't cover a Pre-X or they will only do it after a few years with no recurrence of symptoms.

Good luck, and if you find something good, please post the info -- others may be searching, too! Heck, I may give up on the high cost of COBRA (or the plan I'll have to swap it to when COBRA ends) and take my chances on my Pre-X until we move back to the States, and then I'd want private UK coverage in case anything new popped up (God forbid!).