Private Health Insurance

OK, I know I've seen this on the board before, but thought I'd ask fresh anyway in case people's opinions have changed.

We have been with Vitality Health for about two years now and are unimpressed. It is cheap, and provides our required CSI cover. However, to "see" a GP on it you have to use their ap and telemedecine component. We don't have a smartphone so we can't use that feature, which is (other than complying with CSI requirements) the feature we'd most likely need. We also signed up for them to decide which hospital we should use, as it made the premiums cheaper. At this point, seeing the problems with the big NHS hospital in town, we would prefer to be able to make that decision ourselves. While we can change that option at plan renewal time, I'm thinking we might just want to look at some other companies.

For comprehensive sickness insurance, do you have a recommendation for a good company? We are in Scotland. That matters, as the Vitality people also sold us on their service as providing an option to see a GP face-to-face for a consult. Only after we signed up and got all the literature did it turn out that you pretty much have to live in London to do that, as they hadn't gotten GPs under contract elsewhere. They also listed a number of non-medical perks that were highly attractive to us, only for us to find out that none of them did business in Scotland. (Ocado, a bike company, a sports shoes company, etc.)

So, we are hoping to hear from someone who has private insurance here in Scotland and likes the company. (I've already done the compare-the-market stuff.)

For comprehensive sickness insurance, do you have a recommendation for a good company?

Find a company to work for who has health insurance for their staff and their families.

Cute.

Not helpful at all, but cute.   

The Daughter won't be covered by any CSI policy I buy for myself or an employer offers to me, as she is no longer a child. So that doesn't work for her.
She cannot work full time, so finding a part-time job that offers CSI is highly unlikely, for her. Her current employer doesn't offer it.

Seriously, someone in Scotland must actually have private health insurance?

Cute.

Not helpful at all, but cute.   

The Daughter won't be covered by any CSI policy I buy for myself or an employer offers to me, as she is no longer a child. So that doesn't work for her.
She cannot work full time, so finding a part-time job that offers CSI is highly unlikely, for her. Her current employer doesn't offer it.

Seriously, someone in Scotland must actually have private health insurance?

But that health policy would cover you. We have people who have joined my employer with exisiting condtions that were covered under our employers health insurance. As your daughter still lives with you, it might cover her too? It would depend on what cover your employer has bought.

As a worker, your daughter would then not need a full CSI. All you would need to look for then if your health cover via work didn't cover her, was one that would allow her to see a specialist immediatley and pay for any same day MRIs etc, to enable her to start any treatment asap, and one that would pay for medication to extend life/treatment that the NHS didn't give for free.

Ah.   I haven't seen one yet (but haven't looked extensively) that covers adult children, but if that's an option it'd be great.     

Yep, if I was a worker no CSI required. I actually already have CSI at no cost through my pension. Her current CSI is about fifty pounds a month.The catch is getting me hired as a worker! There's no private medical coverage for lower-level employees at her part-time job.

There are a few things working against me here: age, foreign status, lack of a UK work record, two years of having been retired, and a pretty massive inability to understand people with heavy Scottish accents. Plus, I'm not sure I could handle a long commute or an intense full-day job anymore. Half-time or 3/4 time, yes - sans long commute.  I think the biggest problem is the accent thing.  I'd do better on the language problem if I was in England or Northern Ireland, but for the life of me half the tradesmen who come into my flat to work or deliver anything are completely unintelligble. It's been two years, and I've spent a lot of time sitting in public places listening to people talk, and it's still a pretty big problem for me, especially when you throw in the hearing semi-impairment. 

That being said, I'd be a realllly good person to hire to sit in a booth somewhere and observe or push switches or check people in-and-out. Not a lot of those jobs around, though. There was one out at a naval (?) property that I could get to by an hour each way by bus several months ago, but they wanted a full (incl manual) DL in case I had to drive a manual car in an emergency. (Yes I can drive one, no, I haven't got a manual endorsed license yet.) I've been offered (and had the offer pulled) a government job - which is my  academic training. I've got credentials out the whazoo for government work, although it's not THIS government so it' have to be entry-level. Which would be ok. There was a completely rediculous offer that I turned down (no set hours, only as they might need me there, although it had been advertised otherwise).  I keep applying, no real luck so far.

But yes, that would change the insurance I would want to get for the Daughter, for sure, if it was an option. In the meantime, I'm still looking for recommendations for CSI/Private Insurance cover companies. 

BTW, if you want some white alpine strawberry seeds, send me a pm with your address. They are now ready.

The catch is getting me hired as a worker!

You know how the UK gives lots of state worker jobs to NI and Scotland, to provide jobs? HMRC is being moved. Belfast, Glasgow and Edinburgh are three of the areas these new HMRC offices are being moved to. Not sure when and they won't provide health insurance... but keep an eye out for these adverts if that is the sort of job you want.

 I doubt they will care that you have been retired: the state jobs used to be the type of jobs that a mother went to after years at home looking after their children. Volunteer in a charity shop to get UK work experience. The (paid) manager of one of my local charity shops, started there as a volunteer. Help at a hospital in their shop etc. From little acorns...

Just cancelled our vitality health plan as we couldn’t afford it was told that it says in our contract that vitality might charge us a £40 cancellation fee. I’m like wtf who charges a cancellation fee!!! The man was like it’s stated in your plan I’m like who actually reads that !!

BTW, if you want some white alpine strawberry seeds, send me a pm with your address. They are now ready.

@Nan D.  Red berried alpine plants are ready too! I mentioned elsewhere but you might have missed it? 

@Nan D.  Red berried alpine plants are ready too! I mentioned elsewhere but you might have missed it? 

oooooooooooooo!

Address PM to you in about a milisecond! Thanks!

Just cancelled our vitality health plan as we couldn’t afford it was told that it says in our contract that vitality might charge us a £40 cancellation fee. I’m like wtf who charges a cancellation fee!!! The man was like it’s stated in your plan I’m like who actually reads that !!

SO MANY places charge cancellation fees 

Yeah, I read that in the Vitality policy when I took it out for the Daughter. Only time to not pay the fee is when renewing the policy!

You know how the UK gives lots of state worker jobs to NI and Scotland, to provide jobs? HMRC is being moved. Belfast, Glasgow and Edinburgh are three of the areas these new HMRC offices are being moved to. Not sure when and they won't provide health insurance... but keep an eye out for these adverts if that is the sort of job you want.

Sooo, no security clearance required? 

While we were back in the States I went to the sheriff's office and got a "no record" letter from them, for potential future use, just in case. Tried to apply with another job that was run by the Home Office that didn't seem to have a security clearance involved. Emailed them to see if it was worth the effort to apply, or if I would be summarily disregarded because I hadn't lived in-country for five years yet.  They responded with the latter. Even though I have "the letter".... Oh, well.

SO MANY places charge cancellation fees 

That's true. I look for, "no cancellation fees", "no exit fees", no" tie-in" even with gas and electric companies.

Sooo, no security clearance required? 

It should say in the advert. Anyway, you might have been here 5 years by the time those jobs are moved up!