Private Medical Insurance a Must for the over 50s

New research shows that many people over the age of 50 have all but given up on the NHS and have taken out private medical insurance.

May be this statistic should be put in context. There are 4.41 million people in the UK who are over 50 and of that group over 500,000 have a private health insurance policy. And perhaps this is no surprise because as people age more things can go wrong and even with the massive investment in the NHS the perception of waiting times for seeing consultants and having operations is still poor.

If you compare this statistic with the general population the same % actually have health cover but when you know that a vast majority of these will be provided as part of an employment package then taking out personal cover is higher in this age group than the country as a whole.

However the research from Saga shows that a massive 87% of people over 50 have had to use the NHS over the past 2 years and despite the headlines over 40% of them actually rate the service as very good.

This of course shows that once you have reached 50 the chances of having to have treatment in hospital for whatever reason is almost certain. People now face an uncertain time with probable cut backs in spending which can only lead to uncertainty. The research showed that 35% of those questioned believed the NHS is only going to get worse over the next two years — and who can blame them thinking like this.

The great thing about have a private health insurance policy is that there are no waiting lists for a wide array of treatments (and the Saga policies cover this). No waiting includes cataract surgery , varicose veins surgery, removal of gallbladders, haemorrhoidectomy, removal of bunions, correction of squint, insertion of grommets, tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.

And of course generally you get to choose which hospital you have any treatment or surgery in. So if you are approaching 50 or are over that age bracket now may be the time to think about getting your own private medical cover. There are many specialist organisations such as Saga who can help you get excellent cover at affordable rates. Although the NHS has probably been great to many people over the past 2-3 years with waiting lists actually falling and free telephone help from NHS Direct the uncertain future with budget cuts pending (even though tax – albeit under the umbrella of national insurance – is going up) this may mean you may not be seen for treatment in a timely manner.

And with a very high percentage of people over 50 having actually had to have hospital treatment it may be a worthwhile investment so you can get the best possible for you and your family.