What does 'self-paying' patient mean?
So you have private medical insurance, but this does not mean that you will be making a claim when you fall ill and instead you may choose to pay for the treatment yourself. If this is the case then you are what is known as a 'self-paying' patient, paying the medical treatment that you require instead of relying on your medical insurance to cover the bill. But why would you do this? There are in fact a number of reasons to opt for the 'self-paying' option, from issues related to long-term costs to illnesses that are not covered by the policy.
First of all, as has been outlined elsewhere on the site, you are unlikely to be covered for a pre-existing condition and if you still opt to seek private medical treatment rather than the NHS for your care then you will have to self-pay rather that make a claim on your private medical insurance. These could be conditions that you had prior to taking out an insurance policy or they could be symptoms that have arisen and been treated for within the five years prior to taking out the policy.
Secondly, as has also been outlined elsewhere on the site, you may wish to avoid an increase on your premium. By paying for the treatment yourself you will not need to make a claim, which will in turn avoid seeing a rise in premium and could also lead to a no-claims bonus.
When you have been referred for further treatment by your GP following a check-up you would normally contact your private medical insurance provider to ensure that the treatment/tests etc are covered by the terms of your policy. If you instead opt to 'self-pay' then you would enter into a contract and often pay up front if you are undergoing a procedure such as surgery. This contract would then outline what is and what is included in the costs that you have just paid.
So a 'self-paying' patient is someone that simply pays for the procedure themselves and there are a variety of reasons in which someone might choose to go down this route.