Insured patients being charged hundreds of pounds more for cover

A recent report has claimed that patients with insurance cover are being charges hundreds of pounds more for treatment by a private hospital chain simply because they have insurance.

It has been claimed that the hospital chain could be bumping up bills by up to 50 percent in some cases. According to a national newspaper the bill for a scan at a hospital that is part of the Nuffield Group was increased by £250.

Campaigners have accused the hospital chain of ‘bedside robbery’ and have warned that this practice could result in patients being conned and insurance premiums rising.

It is thought that around seven million people in Britain have medical insurance, but concern has been expressed about the level of increases in premiums, which have been around 5-10 percent above inflation. Also, there has been concern about the increase in prices for operations at private hospitals.

One industry official said: ‘It beggars belief that in these times – when we, the public, demand openness, transparency and accountability – that one of this country’s leading charities is taking advantage of patients at their most vulnerable, charging insured patients in excess of 50% more than self-pay patients.’

He added: ‘It is nothing more than bedside robbery for a private hospital to charge on the basis of “how much can we get away with?”. In fact, and in law, every patient receiving treatment in the private sector is a self-pay patient. The legal position is that prices should be fair, displayed, clear and readily understood; they are not. The public has every right to expect at least as much consumer protection buying healthcare as when they buy any other goods or services.’

Tags: charities, transparency, private hospitals, position, insured patients