Reduction in those who can afford private healthcare

Posted 09/08/2012

There has been a significant reduction in the number of people who can continue to afford private healthcare and BUPA have warned that the private healthcare market is facing an “affordability crunch”. BUPA’s UK customer base has fallen by 5% in six months as premiums have risen by more than three times their wages.BUPA say that they are trying to address the issue and have already adopted fixed pricing in around 70 of the most common surgical procedures that they offer, but there is insufficient competition in the market.Sharon Allison, a medical injury lawyer at Ashtons Legal says: “In the recession, people have been hard hit in their pockets, but Health inflation has continued to grow to almost three times the level of the retail price index (RPI). A significant number of people have had to make the decision to reduce the level of cover they receive or opt out altogether.This will ultimately place a significant strain on NHS resources where cutbacks are being made in all departments. We need the best possible care for the lowest possible cost so that patient safety is not compromised. Let’s hope that the proposed NHS reforms will achieve this.”