Six out of 10 people ' 59% ' would willingly pay for their own medical care to avoid NHS waiting lis...
Six out of 10 people ' 59% ' would willingly pay for their own medical care to avoid NHS waiting lists, according to Standard Life Healthcare's annual Attitudes to Healthcare Survey. The research, based on a representative sample of 2005 adults, also shows younger people are the most willing to find the money to pay for private treatment.
A total of 70% of people aged between 25-34 and 67% of those aged 16-24, said they would self-fund their own healthcare if the need arose. Of those, more than one in five would be willing to pay up to £10,000 from their own funds, while 28% would pay up to £1,000. A total of 21% and 17% said they would pay up to £2,500 and up to £5,000 respectively. In comparison, only 40% of people over 65 said they would be willing to pay.
Despite this willingness, the report highlighted a lack of knowledge among consumers about the true cost of medical care. Respondents were asked the cost of a heart operation which typically is in the region of £14,500. A total of 32% thought the operation would cost £10,000, 17% said £8,000 and 8% said they thought the cost would amount to £5,000. Only 14% correctly guessed that a knee replacement would cost approximately £9,000.
Mike Hall, chief executive at Standard Life Healthcare, said: 'The fact that so many people would pay for medical care rather than wait is probably not as surprising as how much people would be willing to pay from their own funds.
'People thinking about paying for treatment should make sure they have back-up insurance in case costs are higher than they think. While most people would not need treatment costing anywhere near £10,000, the cost of some operations can start at this figure ' and some cancer treatments can cost five times as much.'
Discussing the outcome of the survey, Roger Hymas, chairman at Health Care Navigator, said more can be done to inform consumers about the cost of healthcare. 'The public are poorly advised on the range of costs within healthcare and where they can get the best deals. It is surprising the 25-34 age group were the most willing to self-fund. However, on the whole, people are beginning to expect they may have to pay to get the healthcare they want,' he said.
