Friday, July 24, 2009

How does the health insurance work in the UK

How does the health insurance work in the UK?
Is there a government health insurance for every employee in the UK? How much do you pay per year? Is it deducted from your paycheck? Can you get additional health insurance? Are vision and dental usually included as a benefit from your employer? I am moving to the UK and would like to know a bit more about what to expect. Thank you!

Other - United Kingdom - 3 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
The NHS (National Health Service) is either free or very cheap: the idea is that everyone can use it. Although the UK is a wealthy country, the NHS has many issues: if you have an accident, you could find yourself waiting for much longer than you expect to get surgery or an examination. There are lots of delays and some misdiagnosises, but the doctors are very good, and carry out very complex surgeries very efficiently. If you can afford it, there is private insurance, and different clinics range in insurance price, and there is travel insurance. I'm only 15 so I'm still not entirely sure how it works, but this is a basic overview. Hope this helps.
2 :
Health care is free (well it's paid for through your income tax). The waiting lists for some operations and consultations with specialists can be very long. So if you are lucky enough to work for a large company, they sometimes offer private health policies. (Bupa is the largest). I very much doubt you will find a national health dentist (government one) they are rare as hen's teeth. So your dentistry will almost certainly be private and quite expensive.
3 :
You get all healthcare free on the NHS apart from dentistry and opticians which you pay fro as you go along(free for under 16's and over 65's). It has nothing to do with your employer.

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