Health Insurance Costs?

[Squish]

Hi There

I'm hoping to move to the UK (Whales, specifically) next year as an au pair for a year or so. I need to start budgeting and looking around at health insurance costs etc, can anyone give me an idea of what a years of insurance would cost me (I'm from BC).

Or perhaps some links pointing me towards quotes/good companies to go through?

Thanks.

[LDN]

IMO, I wouldn't bother getting health insurance, since you will be able to get any services you need through the NHS, the UK's public health care system. (Eligibility for public health care in the UK is much less strict than in Canada.) Some Brits may complain about the NHS, but I have had nothing but good experiences in the 7 years I have lived here, and certainly the Canadian system is not anything better.

If you were to get health insurance, it may allow you to access certain services at private hospitals, or with private specialists. Insurance costs can be high, and you would still have to see a NHS GP in the first instance to get a referral and then the insurance providers would determine whether that treatment was eligible or not.

IMO, having insurance only makes a difference if you needed something non-urgent, where the wait to see the NHS specialist was very long. I had private insurance coverage through my work for 5 years, and I only used it twice for minor medical complaints, and a few times for therapeutic massages - which may not even be covered if you were to get an individual plan. If I had to pay out of pocket for that coverage, there is no way it would have been worth it. When I did have an urgent medical matter, I was referred to an NHS specialist within a week, and didn't bother going private. I suppose if you had to stay overnight, a private hospital would be much nicer (as in cleaner, better food), than an NHS one, but the level of medical care is not necessarily better.

In terms of costs, I know someone who is self-employed who is paying about ₤100 a month for private insurance through AXA PPP. You could also look at BUPA.

Hope this is helpful!

[riverfox]

If you're purchasing your insurance in canada, I did so through travel cuts . coverage for about a year was I think about 800$ . and that was full coverage for EVERYTHING.

I agree with the above poster, you ought to be covered by the NHS . so as long as you register with a doctor etc. you ought to be fine.

Cheers.