30 April 2022
If you thought private healthcare was just for the over 55s, you would be mistaken.
YouGov recently published a survey in which they found that across the general population 21% of Britons said they were more likely to choose private treatment now than pre-covid.
Spire Healthcare, who commissioned the survey, revealed an 80% increase in self-pay revenue in their full year results published in April.
Nothing particularly unexpected in that and certainly it’s a trend we are seeing in our own clinics.
However, what was surprising was that the 18-34 category were more likely to consider paying privately than any other age group. Almost 30 per cent – said they would consider funding care with their own money, compared with 23 per cent in the wider population.
Spire’s own data shows a rise in demand from patients aged 18-34 since the onset of the pandemic. Comparing figures from H2 2019 and H2 2021, the firm has seen a 35% increase in patients within this age bracket
Typical procedures among this category include sports injuries like ligament damage, hernia repair, diagnostic OGDs and tonsillectomies. These are typically at the lower end of the tariff as far as costs are concerned, averaging between £3-5K. General surgery was the most popular category.
The importance of good health to the 18-34 age-group was further emphasised by their willingness to consider Private Medical Insurance (PMI), 16% of those aged 18-34 expressed an intention to take out a policy paid for by themselves in the future, the highest of all age groups.
Justin Ash, CEO of Spire Healthcare, comments: “The COVID-19 pandemic has changed UK healthcare, leading to a fundamental shift in attitudes towards the choice of private healthcare, especially amongst younger people – the future users of the country’s healthcare system. These YouGov findings suggest a longer-term shift in attitudes towards private healthcare among young people, perhaps giving a glimpse into how Britons will approach their choices in health and wellbeing in the future.”
We agree, which is why we are introducing a much more transactional approach to some, elective day case conditions on our Get Well Soon platform.
