Private health insurance policy holders may not be making the most of their cover by continuing to use the NHS. GP’s may now be encouraged to offer their patients a private referral because those who are privately covered are said to be taking up places in NHS clinics that could otherwise be used to treat those people who do not wish or cannot afford to pay for their care. At the moment, doctors may not always realise that their patients have private medical insurance or are willing to pay for their treatment and automatically refer them to NHS specialists. It may also be that they are not too sure of the procedure to refer patients to private hospitals. The independent sector are now trying to persuade GP’s to help ease the pressure on the NHS by encouraging patients to investigate all options.


More people may be willing to pay for their healthcare than some GPs may initially think. Some people may not have even considered that there might be an alternative than being patient in an NHS waiting list for an appointment with a specialist or for an operation. Paying directly for the cost of private treatment might be an option for some people, but for the majority of people this often costly option is not a choice if they do not have savings or wish to spend them on healthcare. Cash plan private medical insurance is a cost effective way of having access to private health care but with monthly premiums that are much less noticeable than an often large one off payment.