Luton is a town and borough with unitary authority status, within the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire; it is located in southeast England but is aligned to the East of England for certain administrative purposes.
The health system in Luton fully recognizes health as a right and offers free, taxpayer-funded health care to all people living in Luton meaning that free care is granted based on need rather than the payment of money as fees or insurance.
Even though the standard of medical facilities is good, be warned: the waiting lists can be gruelingly long, and there are limits to your choices.
However, you can also access the private healthcare system – which many people in the UK choose to do. You may be wondering why you should consider private health insurance on top of what the NHS offers.
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How To Access The UK Public Health System In Luton
Anyone can get treatment at the NHS.
If you have Luton resident status, you have free access to the NHS, regardless of your employment status.
If you are European and you are in the United Kingdom for a temporary or tourist stay, you can access the NHS using your European health insurance card (be careful, this only gives access to emergencies and unplanned care ).
If you are a temporary resident or a tourist from a country outside the European Economic Area, you must pay a health tax to access the NHS.
Registering With The NHS
Membership in the NHS is not automatic. You must first register with an NHS medical practice (NHS surgery) located near your place of residence or work and provide your British tax number (national insurance number) as well as proof of address. Some medical offices may also ask you for identification.
If you’re traveling from one area of the UK to another, you can still visit any NHS doctor’s practice (and you can register there as a temporary patient for up to three months).
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Consult A General Practitioner (GP)
The GP (NHS GP) is the first point of contact for patients with the NHS. All patients must go through the general practitioner to be able to see a specialist doctor, including a gynecologist or a pediatrician.
The objective of this system is to control public health expenditure and to guarantee the efficiency of the system by ensuring that patients only consult specialist doctors if it is medically necessary.
The average duration of a consultation with the GP in the UK is ten minutes. Doctors can ask patients to mention only one medical problem per consultation. It, therefore,e preferable to make a double appointment which will allow several medical problems to be discussed at once.
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Private Health Insurance In Luton
Most Luton residents have access to free healthcare through the NHS, a service that provides comprehensive medical treatment to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.
Nonetheless, around 8 million people in the UK pay for private health insurance (also known as private medical insurance or PMI) giving them quick access and more choice when it comes to consultations, scans, and treatment, but it comes at a cost.
What Are The Advantages and Disadvantages of Taking out Private Health Insurance?
Advantages
- Faster access to consultations, scans, diagnosis, and treatment Specialist referrals at your request
- You may be able to access medicines or treatments not available on the NHS • You may be able to choose a surgeon or hospital
- You can receive your private room
Drawbacks
- Coverage can be expensive and the cost increases as you get older
- Does not cover chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure
Existing medical conditions are generally not covered (you can choose to include existing conditions as an ‘add-on’, although this can be expensive)
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How To Reduce Costs of Private Health Insurance Premiums In Luton
1. Be limited about hospital choices.
Each health insurance policy differs, but the majority will be given an option concerned with the number of private hospitals you can be treated at.
A few policies charge extra for access to a larger range of hospitals and specialists, so you could be able t save hundreds of pounds yearly if you’re ready to travel a little further for your betterment.
2. Reaccess Your Benefits
Many health insurance policies are offering additional optional benefits that might be fused with the main coverage, like mental health or cancer coverage.
Even if you take away benefits from your cover, most options might be exorbitant, so ordinarily taking away an option could earn you £70-100 yearly.
3. Reduce your coverage
Most health insurance policies differ, in the levels of coverage, for example, most insurers tend to offer basic, intermediate, and comprehensive coverage. You should make sure, and know what kind of coverage you have and whether you can reduce your coverage.
Basic health insurance normally covers only solutions, intermediate health insurance coverage pays for restricted diagnosis and solutions, and complete coverage normally covers full diagnosis and solutions (consultation, tests, scans, x-rays, etc.).
When you are satisfied with the diagnosis and referral from your GP, simple health insurance cover (mostly called treatment only) might be just enough for you.
Changing from complete health insurance to simple health insurance can earn you up to £50 every month in most situations.
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4. Compare prices when you receive your annual renewal quote
As with auto and home insurance, you should always shop around when it comes to your annual renewal. First double-check the benefits listed and write them down and see if there is anything you can do without.
Do well to drop further questions in the comment section.
We hope this post was helpful.