Increasing numbers of people are taking out private medical insurance policies – and it’s all because they are worried about the quality and condition of NHS hospitals. A survey carried out by Bupa found that cleanliness of hospitals was a major contributing factor, with 73 percent of people stating it as their reason for taking out private health cover. That is an increase of eight percent on the same survey carried out the year before, despite the number of people actually contracting hospital acquired infections like MRSA falling in a similar period of time. Two of the other main reasons that people stated for taking out private health insurance was the thought that the quality of treatment would be better in a private healthcare centre (59 percent), as well as shorter waiting lists for care (61 percent).


Private health insurance has long been thought of as a luxury, but with the price of premiums now becoming very affordable, especially with cash plan private medical insurance, it is now something that everyone can have access to. With the UK heading into recession last year, some people may have predicted that the number of people with private health insurance would have dropped but despite this, figures actually rose. This means that people are now starting to see private health cover as an important priority to themselves and their families. Bupa’s commercial director, Stephen Flanagan, told Expatriate Healthcare: "It's good to see that more people are seeing the benefits that private medical insurance offers."