While most people earning the UK’s average wage or below do not take out private medical insurance (PMI), they are open to going private, according to Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) research.
Its Creating confidence: What do patients need from private healthcare information? report showed 57% of people earning £25,000 or under per year either already used private healthcare or would consider going private.
This rose to 78% of those earning between £25,000 and £35,000 a year.
In fact, the research indicated that 77% of the UK public were open to using private healthcare.
But the report also showed that 22% of those earning up to £25,000 a year who used private healthcare were PMI customers, with 27% of those earning between £25,000 and £35,000 a year using PMI to fund their treatment.
More information wanted for decisions
Of the 84% who would research private healthcare before using it, 28% would not know where to start.
Though just 26% said they felt ‘very confident’ in organising and using private healthcare.
Only 29% felt it was easy to make decisions without trusted information, dropping to 9% among those who self-report as having low confidence.
Furthermore, 82% of people said they would consider using the information provided by PHIN once its role was explained.
Choice matters
Dr Ian Gargan, chief executive of PHIN, (pictured) said: “This matters because patients make choices throughout their healthcare journey, often when they already feel unwell, or are uncertain, and under pressure to find the funds, because of time urgency or a lack of knowledge of their options.
“They may also be weighing up the cost of treatment against that of not being able to return to work quickly; a decision which can impact the wider economy and not just their own personal circumstances.
“There are several underlying issues at play, not least the lack of health literacy among the UK population.
“We work with all the UK’s private hospitals and the NHS to provide independent and unbiased information. We were created by the government and the private sector to share the facts patients need, and do so at no cost to those using our services or the taxpayer.
“Whether patients are opting to ‘go private’ or taking advantage of their ‘right to choose’ through the NHS, we can give all patients greater confidence in navigating their choices.“
Gargan added the PHIN website was already receiving more than 600,000 visitors each year.