In the UK, while there are some that provide only direct-pay services, most of the private healthcare is operated by, or contracted by, large private insurance companies, that offers quite cheap "add-on" insurance offered as perks by companies, or which you can buy separately.
Most of the private health-care offerings are also deeply incestuous with the NHS. Large part of the surgeons are NHS surgeons that offer additional services on their own time. Many of the surgeries happens in NHS facilities that make excess capacity available to help offset operating costs, and so on.
Additional private cover in the UK is well within reach for most people that are not that far below a median salary.
Private stuff in the UK is also reasonably common in employment contracts for anyone above middle manager level, since you effectively get the same treatment as the NHS for the reasons mentioned, but with a much shorter waiting period, so companies can get their employees back to work faster.
I guess it's some UK thing but I expected "middle manager" to be something pretty exclusive with not many people above. And this is where it loses relevancy to many people on HN.
Maybe you call shop clerks middle managers or something.
Most of the private health-care offerings are also deeply incestuous with the NHS. Large part of the surgeons are NHS surgeons that offer additional services on their own time. Many of the surgeries happens in NHS facilities that make excess capacity available to help offset operating costs, and so on.
Additional private cover in the UK is well within reach for most people that are not that far below a median salary.