Paying for private health care with type 1

We seriously considered moving to live in the USA, but the cost of my diabetes care was the only thing that actually stopped us.
Most jobs offer medical insurance as part of the pay package, but as a T1 diabetic you are limited to which job you can take by the cost of the medical insurance that they offer in relation to the monthly salary.

Here is a link to a blog with some interesting reading regarding the cost of diabetes essentials:
http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/Blog/David-Spero/paying-for-diabetes/
and these extracts highlight some of the costs involved with diabetes medications:
"The costs of healthcare are atrocious. There really is no excuse for drug and supplies manufacturers to charge the incredibly huge fees for a 20-day supply of insulin ($114.00) and enough syringes ($45 for a box,) and test strips ($1 each!!!)
The generic drugs - Metformin, glyburide, are relatively easy to afford (90 day supply at $10 each)
But sometimes you have to give something up. Since my testing supplies went missing at an airport I have not been testing, gauging my blood glucose by how I feel. I only go to the MD when necessary - those guys aren’t cheap either.
I have been courted by some insurance companies who promise for $250/month both my wife and I can have insurance - even with the preexisting conditions. And their formulary contains my drugs at a serious discount.But according to comments on the internet, those companies don’t pay either on time or the full amount expected."

"I lost my job and insurance a little over 3 yrs ago. I’ve had Type 1 for 39 yrs and my wife has type 2 for 12 yrs. When I went to get my own insurancethe cheapest I could find was $3000/mo for me and $920/mo for my wife. Who can afford it?"

The second extract would be a serious concern for any diabetic. That said, President Obama is trying to bring in a basic health insurance for all Americans, rather like our National Insurance. Quite ironic really, when ouir government is trying it's hardest to make the NHS more like a private operator.

I would imagine it would be rather expensive, for someone using insulin this would be particularly so, tbh Donna don't worry about such things until they happen, hopefully the day will never come where the NHS gets privatised and we need private medical insurance.

Donna1 said:

But lets be honest under the tories its gonna come n soon rather than later. They,re doin everything else partnered with america so why not use there model of health care. Ill have to wait n see but if there,s a no vote ill be defo moving but where to is what im trying to find out is best wai health costs

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The Tories would have to get back in again, and even then I'm unsure if they'd get away with privatising the whole of the NHS, admittedly they have tendered out some parts but it would be a brave man/woman or government that privatised it completely, they'd be unrest about it guaranteed.

Donna1 said:

Exactly but have they cared bout there choices before like education fees, prescription fees no. They will privatise it.

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You should be just as worried if there is a YES vote - will education, prescriptions and the NHS all remain affordable as they are now?

Donna1 said:

Exactly but have they cared bout there choices before like education fees, prescription fees no. They will privatise it.

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Time will tell Donna, hopefully we will never live to see that day.............

In the US they tend to have to pay far higher prices for things than in Europe. I would hate the NHS to become privatised. I would hope though that any privatisation scheme would not result in quite as high costs of the US.

Glucagon US cost 272.72$ cost paid to pharmacy by French health service 18.63
The US price comes from this article which has quite a lot about one T1 diabete's costs .Glucagon isn't even covered by her insurance
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/h...cal-advances-can-mean-big-jumps-in-bills.html

There is a sort of mixed economy here in France, my specialist doctors for outpatients appointments, GP, the pharmacist, the laboratory, the people who provide and service my pump etc are all in essence private so are paid for everything they provide.
The health care scheme has a fixed rate of payment for services and will only reimburse that amount. (some will charge more but the health service won't refund it)
Levels of payment are negotiated nationally, salaries aren't high (lower than the UK) and doctors don't have to pay such expensive liability insurance as in the US so costs are considerably lower but this is what a private insurance would also have to pay... but still a lot of money.

For diabetes I get almost all of my costs back but for doctors visits will normally have to pay upfront.

21E for a vial of insulin.
174.50€ The monthly rental of pump (this covers pump. emergency replacement within 24 hours, delivery of consumables and home visit within twelve hours if necessary)
( mine was bought under an older scheme so cost 2,600€ plus a daily fee of 3.50€ for service as above)
24.54€ 1 reservoir+ Catheter
38.60€ 100 glucose strips
14.20€ 200 lancettes

visit to a GP 22€
visit to specialist 42€
retinothpathy check ( think last one worked out at about 80€ )
blood test costs vary I think an HbA1c is around 20€

Donna - I am now in my second phase of living (part of the time) in parts of the world where the healthcare systems mimic the US; our previous location slightly moreso than the current.

To be honest, it's only when you spend time (more than a brief holiday sort of length of time) in a place do you really see the impact of a more overtly pay as you go healthcare system. There are almost always appeals going on at the local supermarket, or on Facebook pages for people in dire straits needing medical care. Most recently, this was for a young, family man, in his mid-30s who had suffered a heart attack and needs more treatment than R&R. He has no medical insurance. His job as a manager at a very nice, but probably poorl;y paying restuarant, doesn't cover his insurances, and he's unlikely to be receiving long term sick pay. That's another really unusual thing overseas, for the uninsured.

Those messages and events act as a constant reminder of just how fortunate we are here in the UK to have our NHS, albeit very seriously flawed. The US healthcare systems are very, very, very commercial. I recommend you watch the Michael Moore documentary "Sicko". It is on Youtube, in various forms. The whole thing is a couple of hours long, but worth the watch. Curiously, I first watched it on a transatlantic flight coming back to UK.

Scardoc said:

You should be just as worried if there is a YES vote - will education, prescriptions and the NHS all remain affordable as they are now?

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I'm with you. I'm worried about the yes vote and the potential effect on my health care. We have discussed moving down south if that's what it comes to.

Hi , I'm from Ireland , I'm only 5 months diagnosed with type 1 , over here health care is not free , I have my own insurance which costs me €1000 a year but our government have a scheme that's called "long term illness plan" where all medication is supplied free of charge and diabetes falls into this plan thank god. My insurance does not cover any medication , it's for piece of mind if I need to see a consultant it won't cost me a fortune and I won't be put on the many waiting list in this country. We pay high taxes here so it's only right that our medication is free , my chemist was telling me my monthly prescription costs €500. I could not afford that and there is not to many that could . If you are worried about loosing the NHS and hopefully it won't happen , a scheme like the one in Ireland might be worth lobbying for ??
Or just move to Ireland and enjoy the Guinness, it's does wonders for the BS

I don't know why more of you don't go private now, I would be seeing a decent private Dr, than the dr/nurse stuff I'm reading here on the forum

jack412 said:

I don't know why more of you don't go private now, I would be seeing a decent private Dr, than the dr/nurse stuff I'm reading here on the forum

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Some of us do have private medical cover, but most of it doesn't cover GP costs, and almost all will exclude the management of long term, chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis and several others.

My medical insurance costs just under £140 a month, and my OH is just over £200, as he is a few years older. Those are heavily discounted rates for the cover we have, because I was able to continue with the cover when I left a former employer, who had a division providing medical insurance. Our cover doesn't pay for private GP costs, nor does it cover long term, chronic conditions, even if diagnosed whilst under cover. It is possible to cover those, but blimey, it's costly.

A few years ago, I had a couple of years having private treatment monthly. I used to have some fairly complex hormone related blood tests, at least one scan a month, and a couple of surgical procedures over the two years, plus either a telephone conversation or a quarterly face to face meeting with the consultant. My insurers paid an average of £1200 a month to the consultant and hospital. I've just checked my pedantically accurate records. Under other circumstances that sort of care would have inflated my premiums, but due to my closeness to the insurer, I was spared that.

So, Jack, many people just can't afford those sorts of figures. And some who may be able to afford it prefer to keep their cash in their pockets and if necessary pay out a lump of money from the savings they have made by not paying insurance premiums, should they believe their need is urgent enough or they are unwilling to wait.

Medical cover is expensive.

We are extremely fortunate to be in the position we are, through our hard work and the ability to budget, but I still thank my lucky stars for our NHS. Like many of us, it has kept me alive in the past.

ok, here in Australia other than the free standard GP, [which some have a small co-pay]...
with specialists, we have co-pay if you are working, everyone has subsidised private Dr specialist if they want and most private wave or reduce the co-payment for pensioners/unemployed.

or everyone can get free from the public hospital, out/in patient treatment .... like the UK

private insurance is private hospital treatment and there are no exclusions allowed, except for the 12 mths pre-existing wait on new members, but if any symptom or new symptom progresses, it's not pre-existing anymore, so it's really just a technical wait that is seldom acted

And of course none of the health care schemes are free. They are paid for by taxation and national insurance contributions . The penalty to the individual for such a system are higher deductions from income which can amount to quite al lot. The majority couldn't pay for private insurance or for private care out of pocket. If you have a pre existing condition like T1 it would be almost impossible to get insurance
I have to say though, I have higher contributions for health care here in France than I would have in the UK. Having just reached state retirement age the UK now pays for my health care contributions here For non diabetic things I still have to pay 30% so have to pay extra insurance to cover that . For that 'top-up insurance the insurers, many of which are 'mutualles' can't take pre existing conditions into account but they wouldn't have to pay out for things like diabetes anyway as they are covered at 100% by the health care scheme)

without insurance in the UK, it looks like you will pay a new consultant appointment £150 - £250,
second and subsequent appointments are £100

even without any subsidisation ...it's cheaper than a service on your car for gods sake.. I still don't know why more of you don't go private for specific problems, that aren't being met by the dr/nurse/clinic setting

hale710 said:

I'm with you. I'm worried about the yes vote and the potential effect on my health care. We have discussed moving down south if that's what it comes to.

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Ha, I'm one step ahead. Regardless of the outcome I have been working and living south of the border during the week for 2 years now and in another 2 years will make a permanent move. My in-laws are already looking at houses in England as they will move in the event of a yes vote. If I wasn't already planning on it then I'd be looking at it, can't help but think my healthcare will be safer in land with more 40% tax payers.......or 50% if Labour get their way......which they need a no vote for. Happy days.