Amid the Pandemic, Most Brits Still Don't Have Private Health Insurance

The pandemic has opened up the private healthcare sector to more people’s minds – people who may never before have thought of attending a private hospital”

— Switch Health Director Dan Parker

GLOUCESTER, ENGLAND, February 11, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- An overwhelming majority of people in the UK do not have private health insurance, even as the Covid-19 pandemic put the NHS out of reach for many and more people than ever attended private hospitals and clinics, the results of a new survey show.

The health service is currently struggling to get through record-long waiting lists of up to 6 million people, more than 300,000 of whom have

been waiting for more than a year for surgical procedures, according to NHS figures published in January. This has prompted some people to get their treatment privately instead.

The enormous backlog comes after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which many elective procedures were postponed by the NHS as it focused on surges of Covid-19 patients instead, and regular appointments were cancelled.

There is no end in sight to the public healthcare woes, as Health Secretary Sajid Javid has warned NHS waiting lists are likely to grow over the next two years. He set a target this week of March 2024 for cancer diagnoses alone to return to their pre-pandemic levels as diagnostic performance continues to plummet.

Out of the NHS, Out of Pocket

Private hospitals, meanwhile, are reporting a dramatic rise in the number of people coming to them – patients who might otherwise have sought treatment on the NHS – and they may end up with large bills that run into the tens of thousands of pounds.

A poll commissioned by UK comparison website Switch Health found that 84% of British adults do not have private health insurance, and must pay for any treatment at private healthcare facilities themselves.

The research, carried out in the second week of February by British public relations firm Reachology among a sample of 1,000 adults in the UK and weighted for national representation using a leading market research platform, found, however, that more people were thinking about private healthcare for themselves.

Changing Perceptions of Private Healthcare

Asked if their view of the benefits of private medical care had changed since the pandemic began, most survey respondents (58%) said "not really", while 24% said no and 18% of those who took part said their view of private healthcare had changed "for the better".

The percentages of those who were now thinking about taking out private health insurance, given the sizable NHS backlog and waiting lists, and the pandemic, were almost equal with participants who said they were unlikely to (26%) and were "not sure" (23%). Just 6% said they were "much more likely to'' take out a health insurance policy now while 14% agreed that they were “more likely” to do so and better protect their health.

Switch Health Director Dan Parker said the results of the survey showed that many people felt they could no longer rely exclusively on the NHS when they need anything from consultations to diagnoses and treatments and procedures.

“The pandemic has opened up the private healthcare sector to more people’s minds – people who may never before have thought of attending a private hospital,” he said. “And it’s therefore vital that they have adequate insurance to protect their health, and their wallet.”