Many countries around the world offer their citizens free, public healthcare that can be accessed at any point. It is not dictated by insurance policies which means you can turn up to a Private Healthcare hospital or GP surgery without having to worry about insurance coverage or payment methods. For a lot of people, this works extremely well and they’re able to receive the treatment they need as soon as they need it.
Despite this, public healthcare can often come with long waiting times and relatively limited access to new treatments. This means at some point or another, many people consider whether public healthcare is actually worth it.
If you’re in this situation and want to learn more about private healthcare and what it can offer, we’ve put together a list of some of the top pros and cons that may sway your decision to go ahead with it or not.
Pros of Private Healthcare :
Faster diagnosis
The first benefit associated with private healthcare and the thing that tends to appeal to people the most is the fact that a diagnosis tends to come quicker because there are greatly reduced waiting times. This means you can book to speak with a doctor faster, get access to tests quicker, and therefore receive a diagnosis sooner rather than later. The consequence of this is that you can access treatment faster compared to public healthcare.
Better appointment availability
It can be frustrating trying to schedule doctors appointments and tests around your everyday life, but unfortunately, this is so often the case with public healthcare. This again feeds into the notion of long waiting lists and having to take what you can get, no matter how inconvenient or disruptive it is.
With private healthcare, waiting lists aren’t there which means you can generally pick and choose the appointment times that suit you the best – be them early in the morning, in the middle of the day, after work in the evening, or even at the weekend. This allows you better maintain your routine and keep your healthcare from disrupting the rest of your life.
Choice of doctors
The final major pro that convinces people to go private is that you get a choice of doctors. This isn’t an option in the public healthcare sector because of staffing issues and availability, but when you have private coverage, you can work to find the best doctor for you. This means you can visit several clinics like the Rutherford until you find the right one for your needs.
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Cons of Private Healthcare:
Inflated price
In terms of drawbacks for private healthcare, cost tops the list. Private coverage sees healthcare run like a business, meaning profits need to be made. To achieve this, inflated prices are charged, and those prices can increase at a moment’s notice.
Possible exploitation
Feeding into the high price, exploitation is a concern in the private sector. Whilst there are some provisions in place to prevent this, it can and does happen. Doctors may try to push you towards the most expensive solution – even if it’s not necessarily the best option or always needed. For this reason, if you do go private, it’s important to ask for itemized invoices and to question what’s being offered to you.
Continuous payments
The third and final major drawback of private healthcare is that you’re liable to make continuous payments, even if you don’t require medical attention for a long time. This may mean you question the value of money it offers, especially if you’re relatively healthy.
Summary
As the saying goes, your health is your wealth, and that means you need to make the right decision or you, be it private or public. Hopefully this article has made it easier for you to narrow down your choices.