@BlueBay

We maintain private health cover for my wife and would not be without it. We tried accessing the public system in a time of crisis for admission into a mental health ward, before we had private health cover, and the experience was quite traumatic for my darling, we were  sent away with my darling being told she was making it all up and basically to wake up to herself. I took out private cover shortly after so she could go into a private hospital.  I don't know how we would have got through the last 12 months with my darling having 6 admissions and over 4 months in a private ward. 

Without my darlings need for mental health support I personally would probably just put money aside each month for unexpected expenses as part of our budgeting. But that is for our situation. That's what we used to do but could not afford lengthy admissions in a private mh ward without the private cover.