Moneymakeover Mortgage cleared, pension maxed, what do we do now??

[jpmackey]

I thought of that as well but people with those sorts of significant diseases do get treated well and pretty promptly in the public healthcare system.

In fact a lot of the time the treatment is done by the public system and the insurance only buys you a more comfortable room/bed.

 

[jpmackey]

Most people end up sick at some point in their life and require some treatment and hospital stay.

Well if it were true that most people are better off having health insurance then they wouldn’t make money.

 

[conor_mc]

In fact a lot of the time the treatment is done by the public system and the insurance only buys you a more comfortable room/bed.

I don’t have private health insurance for a nicer bed, I have private health insurance because I strongly suspect (but cannot prove) it secures more timely interventions.

 

[jpmackey]

I don’t have private health insurance for a nicer bed, I have private health insurance because I strongly suspect (but cannot prove) it secures more timely interventions.

The insurance does not secure more timely interventions. The private health care does. You don’t need an insurance company to pay for private health care if you have the cash yourself.

 

[TomEdison]

If you're critically ill, and need urgent care, going private (with or without health insurance) doesn't secure you any priority.

Where it makes a difference is if you want elective care, or if you're chronically ill and require continuing care (and a high proportion of us will find ourselves in one or other situation at some time in our lives).

As regards elective care, while things vary depending on exactly what condition you want treated and on other factors, going private can often mean a shorter wait time.

As regards continuing care for a chronic condition, going private will generally secure you a more pleasant (or, I suppose, less unpleasant) experience.

Finding solid evidence of better health outcomes overall from private care is difficult. People who have private care do enjoy measurably better health outcomes but they would anyway, because as a class they are better off, and have a more advantaged background and experience, than the class of people who don't get private healthcare. The socioeconomic determinants of health work in your favour and it is difficult to disentangle the effects of that from the effects of receiving private care.

 

[Premos]

if it were true that most people are better off having health insurance then they wouldn’t make money

This is the case for all insurances. The problem is if you are among the people who need it and need expensive treatment. I don't have my health insurance to cover my routine expenses (though at the moment my insurance is very good on that regard) but for the costs I might find difficult to cover as they could be very high and wipe off a lot of my savings and investments. The financial impact could be life changing...But if you are happy that you will be in a position to pay if and when needed or to manage in the public system, perfectly fine.