9 of the Key Benefits of Private Healthcare
The below table shows 9 of the key benefits of Private Healthcare for both businesses and families.
| Pro | Reason | |
| 1 | Specialist Referrals | You can ask your GP to refer you to an expert or specialist working privately to get a second opinion or specialist treatment.
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| 2 | Get the scans you want | If the NHS delays a scan, or won’t let you have one, you can use your cover to pay for it.
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| 3 | Reduce the waiting time for treatment | You can use your insurance to reduce the time you spend waiting for NHS treatment, if your wait time is more than six weeks.
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| 4 | Choose a doctor and hospital | You can (in theory) choose a surgeon and hospital to suit your time and place – which isn’t possible on the NHS.
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| 5 | Get a private room | You can use it to get a private room, rather than staying in an open ward
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| 6 | Specialist drug treatments could be available | Some specialist drugs and treatments aren’t available on the NHS because they’re too expensive or not approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in England and Wales (NICE) or the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC).
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| 7 | Physiotherapy | You get quicker access to physiotherapy sessions if you have insurance than you would through NHS treatment.
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| 8 | Virtual GP’s | Almost every provider now offers a virtual GP service, meaning that members can be seen straight away without the hassle of physically seeing a GP. |
| 9 | Insurer discounts | Private medical insurers often offer a wide range of retail and recreational discounts for members. |
Although the NHS does an amazing job within the U.K, private medical insurance can offer extra peace of mind should the worst happen. Furthermore, it means that members that are insured can personalise their treatment, be seen 24/7 and have access to treatments that are unavailable on the NHS. It is a great incentive for employers to offer employees to show that they are valued within companies and also to keep a workforce fit and productive.
Interesting Fact: The number of people considering private healthcare treatment and insurance has nearly doubled since the start of the pandemic. Equipsme recently ran a survey of 1,049 UK adults and found that 15% were open to paying for private healthcare before and that the figure had risen to 27% over the course of the pandemic. Surprisingly, it also found that younger people aged 18-34 were most likely to consider private healthcare.
