Health Insurance with RA

[Joanova]

Hey all! I was wondering if anyone here is able to recommend any heath insurance companies for people with RA, like myself? So far I have spoken to Vitality and Bupa, who have both said RA is excluded as standard. But even for new illnesses, Vitality has declined me cover mainly because I take a biologic drug to treat my RA. I have had RA since 2007, and on biologic treatment for the past 3 years.

[Topcar]

Goodtogoinsurance.com they covered mine and oh's RA OA joint replacement PMR/GCA and previous cancer they specialize in medical condition insurance hope this helps 👍

[Joanova in reply to Topcar]

Thanks! Is this for health insurance or travel insurance?

[Amnesiac3637 in reply to Joanova]

It’s a travel insurance company.

[AgedCrone]

Do you mean health insurance that will pay for private medical treatment here in the UK or Travel Medical Insurance to go abroad?

Many companies will cover people with medical conditions for Travel Insurance, but you will find it very very difficult to find a health insurance company like BUPA to Cover RA here in the UK if you already have been diagnosed.

Because RA is regarded as an incurable disease, you probably won’t find a Private Health Insurance that will cover you. But don’t despair….I gave up Private medical insurance, when the subscription became prohibitive because of my age, and I have found that making the odd private appointment is in fact, much more reasonable than paying a regular monthly subscription.

[Joanova in reply to AgedCrone]

Thank you for the advice.

I do indeed mean private health insurance for medical treatment here in the UK and not travel insurance. I would like extra cover as I get older in case new illnesses come up as well as accessing healthcare faster. I do know now that RA is excluded as standard from most of the big insurance providers from recent research, but I was surprised to see that Vitality wouldn't even cover me for new illnesses!

I especially wish I had private health insurance now, as I am suffering through vestibular neuritis caused by Covid - I paid out of pocket for a private appointment, as I can't get an ENT appointment on the NHS until January! It cost me £110 - some ENTs were quoting me up to £220.

[AgedCrone in reply to Joanova]

Yes private medical treatment is now expensive….but the way I look at it…getting older seems to mean we need to get medical advice more often, & with the NHS being so stretched I think it’s worth going without some other luxury to pay to see a doctor privately as soon as possible, rather than have a condition worsen…& maybe become very debilitating because the NHS wait was so long.

When you see a doctor, privately he will write to your NHS GP, saying what he has diagnosed & what advice he has given ….and your GP will then know how to proceed .

Contrary to popular opinion ,because the doctor has a private practice, it doesn’t mean he is neglecting his NHS patients. A consultant’s contract states how many hours he has to work for the NHS before he can work in his private practice.

So if we have any spare funds, we all have to make the decision where we spend it…..that holiday of a lifetime or the treatment we need, that gets further away each month.

[MJSlide1958 in reply to AgedCrone]

Very good advice! I think we should all have a little saving fund aside for health needs, especially when having ill health conditions! But I did not realise that you could see a private GP and get NHS prescriptions for incurable illnesses. Is this standard or only some private GPs?

[AgedCrone in reply to MJSlide1958]

It’s not for any particular illness. If you see a consultant privately that consultant will write to your NHS. GP, telling him the results of your consult, and will ask GP to sign the prescriptions for drugs that the consultant wishes to prescribe. This is under something called a shared care agreement. The consultant is still responsible for the drugs given to the patient, and he is the only one who can alter the dose of the drug, but the GP signs off the prescription under the agreement.

[MJSlide1958 in reply to AgedCrone]

Thanks

[MJSlide1958 in reply to AgedCrone]

Thanks

[SBlu in reply to Joanova]

Perhaps move to the US? I believe their private health care system is amazing.

[AgedCrone in reply to SBlu]

The cost is amazing …..but the care is sometimes not!

[bpeal1]

I think you’ll find it nearly impossible, and if not, impossibly expensive. The problem is (understandably) insurance companies won’t cover pre-existing conditions because it’s a certainty you’ll need medical treatment for it (ie insurance works on everyone pays a little in but only a few take any out). The bigger problem with RA is that it’s a very systemic disease and it’s not always easy to tell if any other new medical conditions are related or caused by it (or sometimes the medication we take for it) so it’s hard for the insurance company to work out if they should be paying for it or not. I suspect they would look after their own interests and not pay if there was much doubt.

Would a compromise be to pay whatever your budget allows each month into a separate bank account and keep that as a medical fund to pay for private treatment when you really need it?

[AgedCrone in reply to bpeal1]

Yes I think that is what a lot of people do now.

Private treatment is expensive, but getting a diagnosis from an NHS GP these days is so difficult, it really is worth having a “standby fund” you can afford …then it’s there when any unexpected & unwanted health problem pops up.

You might only need one private visit to get a diagnosis, that can then be treated on the NHS by your GP. Seeing a doctor privately doesn’t mean you are committing to more than one consult, & Private Dr’s secretaries are very used to fully explain what you are committing to financially before you make the appointment. Also Private hospitals have “pay as you go” schemes if you need something costing a bit more than you can manage in one go.

[MJSlide1958 in reply to AgedCrone]

Also Benenden Health assist the NHS, worth reading about on line.

[AgedCrone in reply to MJSlide1958]

I joined that…but I found unless there is one of the physios/hospitals on their list near where you live , it isn’t much help. So I opted out after a couple of years,

[MJSlide1958 in reply to AgedCrone]

I see, always a problem!!!

[Angie2212]

Good Morning,

Have you tried Aviva?

I am with them and there are no limitations on previous illnesses on my policy and I have RA and OA. I'm 7 weeks post op after having a total hip replacement through OA that was done at Ross Hall through Aviva..

I have this benefit through my work therefore I'm unsure if that makes any difference and to be fair, I haven't used it for my RA as I have a great nurse and consultant at my RA clinic.

I used it for my THR as I was informed the waiting list for NHS doing it was 3 years.

[bpeal1 in reply to Angie2212]

Out of interest did you have the policy before you were diagnosed?

[Angie2212 in reply to bpeal1]

I have had the policy for 2 years now. I have had RA for well over 10yrs. It was only discovered I had OA recently when undergoing tests prior to my THR in July.

[bpeal1 in reply to Angie2212]

That’s interesting. I wonder if the difference is because it’s a company policy and you are the employee. My husband’s company have a policy for employees but also the spouses of the partners. However, to add me they wanted a huge top-up fee and wouldn’t include anything related to RA. We decided it wasn’t worth it.

[Angie2212 in reply to bpeal1]

I believe it is how the Company initially set up the policy, what they want included.

To be fair, I was really surprised seeing it had no limitations on previous conditions as our previous provider, Bupa, did not have this benefit.

It will be interesting as our Company are changing to Vitality soon as apparently it offers better benefits. We shall see.

[MJSlide1958 in reply to Angie2212]

I hope you don't mind me asking? Is the monthly payment expensive to pay?

[Angie2212 in reply to MJSlide1958]

Mine is through my work. It's a benefit I have in place. I don't pay for it, they do, however it does affect my tax by approx £500 per year which is a small amount considering I've just had 18k worth of treatment having a total hip replacement 7wks ago.

[MJSlide1958 in reply to Angie2212]

I am so glad it works for you, good luck.

[AgedCrone in reply to Angie2212]

Having administered a company PMI scheme ….unfortunately policies for companies are different from indidual policies. A Company scheme will have as many benefits as the company is willing to pay for……