Lack Of Local Competition Boosts Cost Of Private Medical Treatment

The Competition Commission (CC) has found that most private hospital patients in the UK pay more for treatment than they should due to the lack of local rival healthcare provision.
Many of the hospitals which face little competition locally are owned by three major groups: BMI, Spire and HCA.
Roughly 80% of private treatment is funded through medical insurance, which is usually paid for by an employer. However, the commission's chairman, Roger Witcomb, believes that insurance premiums are also affected by the lack of competition:
"The lack of competition in the healthcare market at a local level means that most private patients are paying more than they should, either for private medical insurance or for self-funded treatment".
To improve the situation, the commission has recommended that more information should be made available about the quality of hospitals' services and the level of fees charged.
To read more on this, including the reaction of the hospital groups, click here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23860805
For Flame Health's latest vacancies within Private Healthcare, click here.