Insurance Coverage · Pre-authorisation · All Major UK Insurers
Most patients are covered. We handle all the paperwork.
Mr Scarci accepts all major UK private health insurers. The practice team verifies your coverage, obtains pre-authorisation, and bills your insurer directly — you pay only your policy excess.
Select your insurer
Who is your private health insurer?
Click your insurer to see specific guidance — what you need to check on your policy, what Mr Scarci’s team does for you, and your insurer’s member services number.
What you need to check
What the practice does for you
How insurance works in practice
The pre-authorisation process can seem daunting. In reality, the practice team handles almost all of it. Here is the full sequence from first contact to surgery.
You share your insurance details
When booking, give Namita your insurer name, membership number, and any GP referral you have. That’s all. She does the rest.
You do thisPractice obtains pre-authorisation
Namita contacts your insurer, confirms your coverage, and obtains a pre-authorisation reference number before your consultation or surgery. No billing surprises.
Practice does thisYou attend — pay excess only
Mr Scarci’s fees and the hospital are billed directly to your insurer. You pay only your policy excess — usually to the hospital on admission or discharge.
Confirmed before arrivalBefore your appointment
What to have ready
The more detail you can give Namita, the faster the pre-authorisation process. Most of this takes under a minute to find.
Essential — needed to book
Required- Insurer name (e.g. Bupa, AXA Health)
- Your membership / policy number
- Main policyholder name (if corporate)
- Your date of birth as registered with the insurer
Helpful — speeds up pre-auth
Optional- GP referral letter (some insurers require one)
- Pre-authorisation number (if already obtained)
- Existing scan results or hospital letters
- Your excess amount (found on your policy schedule)
Questions patients often have about insurance
“I’m not sure if my condition is covered
Thoracic surgery is almost always covered as medically necessary. The main exclusion to check is pre-existing conditions — if you developed your condition before your policy started, some policies exclude it. Namita checks this specifically before your appointment so there are no surprises.
“Do I need a GP referral first?
For clinical purposes, no — you can book directly without a GP referral. However, some insurers require a GP referral to authorise the episode of care. Your GP can issue this quickly and it can run in parallel with your private booking. Namita advises you on this for your specific insurer.
“What does my excess mean in practice?
Your excess is the fixed amount you contribute per policy year (or per claim). Beyond that, your insurer pays. You pay the excess directly to the hospital — not to Mr Scarci’s practice. On most standard UK policies, the excess is £100–£500. The exact amount is on your policy schedule.
“Will going private affect my NHS treatment?
No. Your NHS entitlement is permanent and completely unaffected by any private treatment you choose. Many patients have surgery privately and continue NHS oncology or follow-up. Mr Scarci provides full documentation to NHS teams and coordinates handover personally when needed.
“What if my insurer refuses to pre-authorise?
If pre-authorisation is declined, the practice team will help you understand the reason. Common causes are referral paperwork issues, policy exclusions, or administrative errors — most of which are resolvable. If coverage genuinely isn’t available, the practice can discuss self-pay pricing or finance options.
“I have international health insurance
International policies (Cigna, Bupa International, AXA Global, Allianz, and others) are accepted. Some international insurers require direct payment claims rather than direct billing. Namita has experience with international insurance and will advise on the specific process for your policy.
Insurance — frequently asked questions
- Can I use my insurance for a second opinion on a lung cancer diagnosis?Yes. Most UK private health insurance policies cover second opinion consultations — including for cancer diagnoses. Some policies have a specific second opinion pathway; others treat it as a standard outpatient consultation. Bring your existing imaging, biopsy reports, and oncology letters to the appointment. Mr Scarci reviews all existing material before the consultation so the appointment is substantive rather than administrative.
- My employer provides my private health insurance — does this change anything?Corporate policies work the same way as personal policies from the pre-authorisation perspective. The key difference is that the main policyholder is your employer, so you will need your membership number from your HR or benefits team if you don’t have it to hand. Some corporate Bupa or AXA policies have specific approved hospital lists — Namita checks this before confirming your booking.
- Will my insurer cover all post-operative follow-up appointments?Post-operative review appointments with Mr Scarci are typically included within the episode of care and covered under the same pre-authorisation as the surgery. Long-term surveillance (such as CT scans at 6-month or annual intervals for lung cancer patients) may require separate authorisation — the practice team coordinates this and advises when a new pre-authorisation is needed.
- What if only part of my treatment is covered?Some patients have policies with high excesses, coverage caps, or exclusions that mean only part of the treatment cost is covered. In these situations, the practice provides a written breakdown of what insurance covers and what any gap payment would be — before any commitment. 0% finance through Ideal4Finance can cover the gap if needed. Nothing proceeds without you having full clarity on costs.
- How long does pre-authorisation take?Most pre-authorisations are obtained within 24–48 hours of the practice team submitting the request. For routine procedures with straightforward referrals, same-day authorisation is common. Complex cases or those requiring additional clinical information can take 3–5 working days. If your situation is urgent — such as a rapidly progressing lung cancer — the practice team can contact insurers with an urgency flag, and most respond within hours.
Don’t navigate insurance alone.
Call the practice and Namita will check your coverage, obtain pre-authorisation, and confirm exactly what you’ll pay before you attend. Most patients are seen within one week of first contact.
Call 020 7459 4367
