A new survey has revealed that 70% of 18-34 year olds would consider using private or self-paid healthcare, and only a third of all Brits would rule it out, suggesting acceptance of private healthcare is wider than generally believed.
The survey of 2,000 adults, carried out by Opinium and commissioned by digital hospital Medbelle, also found that one in five (21%) adults has already paid directly for healthcare for themselves or others, while 17% had private health insurance.
While a majority of UK adults are not opposed to paying directly for their healthcare, many do not feel confident about doing so due to the complexity of self-paid healthcare, suggesting the sector needs to do more to help patients. Only a third (36%) are confident they would know if they were being offered a fair price for private treatment, and just 42% felt they would even know where to look for a surgeon.
Away from private healthcare, a significant number of Brits are resigned to very long waiting times, and many would put off seeking healthcare if they were injured today. One in seven (14%) UK adults would expect to wait over a year in discomfort after being referred for hip or knee surgery. The same portion of adults aged over 55 would not even seek medical treatment for a hip or knee injury unless it started to cause them 'significant' pain or prevented them from working. Over a quarter (27%) of all adults said they would not seek healthcare unless the injury lasted at least a month.
Although older adults are the most pessimistic about waiting times, they are also far less likely to consider paying for healthcare, with almost half (48%) saying they would not consider it, compared with just 16% of 18-34 year olds. As a whole, over half of Brits said they had either paid directly for healthcare in the past, had private health insurance, or would consider paying for healthcare in the future.
Leander de Laporte, CEO of Medbelle said: ‘What this survey makes clear is that all patients need more support as they negotiate the healthcare system, whether they are paying directly or not.
‘Although self-pay healthcare is likely to be quicker, too many patients still feel overwhelmed about how the system works. Much more needs to be done to provide a more streamlined and joined-up service - partly by embracing digitalisation, which has revolutionised many industries but had little impact on healthcare so far.
‘Patients will have different motivations for considering paying directly for their healthcare. What’s important is that however healthcare is provided, it is done so with a minimum of stress and delays for patients.’
The results of the polling suggest only a minority of Brits are opposed to paying for healthcare, either directly or via health insurance. When asked if they had done this or would consider it, only 34% said they had never paid for healthcare and would not consider it, with a further 11% saying they didn’t know.
While many are considering paying for their healthcare, others are simply putting off seeking medical help, potentially causing more serious longer-term issues. Over a quarter of respondents (27%) said they would wait at least a month before seeking healthcare if they injured their hip or knee today.
Despite a willingness to pay for healthcare, there is not a widespread confidence about any aspect of accessing self-pay healthcare. Less than one in five respondents said they are ‘very confident’ about the following aspects of self-pay healthcare:
Medbelle was set up to bring the benefits of digitalisation - that have revolutionised so many industries - to the fragmented and often low-tech world of healthcare. Medbelle uses technology and individualised support to provide a more streamlined experience for patients and clinicians, while efficiencies mean prices are more competitive and transparent.
Medbelle is meeting a demand from patients who would otherwise have to navigate the private healthcare system on their own. The ‘digital hospital’ provided by Medbelle brings together the fragmented components of this system and coordinates the patient journey.
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