Health insurance… .what to do?

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  • #9784
    Taylor5
    Member

    I would be very reluctant to stop it. Would you think of calling them to discuss it? Perhaps drop to a lower plan? Could save you a bit.

    perhaps you are paying for benefits you would not need. Just a thought..

    #102959
    Taylor5
    Member

    Girls i have been looking at our outgoings over the past month and looking to cut back (dh took a 15k drop in wages earlier in the year and feeling the pinch)
    Our health ins is almost 200 a month, i can claim my gp cost back but have only been a few times this year anyway….. im think, i could do alot with that 200 a month… havent used my ins in about 8 years other then Gp cost etc
    What do i do? Would you cut or drop you private health ins?

    #102966
    munchin
    Participant

    oh tis a hard one Taylor – only time i’ve ever used my health ins in since i was a child was to get wisdom teeth out and having the two girls. I was unsure in Sept and kept it on in the end – suppose afraid i’ll need it if i get rid of it, it’s tougher and tougher every year – it’s paid now for the year so i’ll decide next sept.

    #102970
    Moonflower
    Member

    taylor …we havent had health insurance since i moved to ireland..mainly due to fact it doesnt cover fertility treatment & most of our money would of gone on that over years..but saying that ihave had other health issues…& found public system to be fine…at moment i have 3 appointments in pipeline & all of them i only had to wait for bwteen 1 & 3 mths for ..thats for me anyway…my worry is of of course if DS gets sick…but i am sure they will also get good care under public system if needed…

    can you just get health ins for children i wonder??

    #103015
    yummymummy
    Member

    I have read loads of forums (money makeover type ones) where the first thing people suggest in doing is getting rid of health insurance……It must be a tough one to call!

    Cant you claim back any prescrptions and doctors visits on your MED1 form at the end of the year???
    Why not add hospital and surgical cash to a life policy you have? (extra cost for them are not that high, although you have to have serious illness to be able to get surgical cash)
    Apart from all that I cannot see the advantage of having health insurance.

    #103018
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Again personal experience here. When I needed treatment myself under the public scheme it was a long wait at times. However, for other, more urgent matters that would need emergency surgery it was more prompt. But I did get seen eventually and the louder you shout sometimes the quicker your’e seen! You have to keep on at them but get treatment in the end. I think the wait can be longer for adult servies in particular.

    For children I find the system is okay. If a child needs something done it will get done. Again, going back few years, but when my daughter had her medical card and needed numerous treatments and surgeries there was NEVER a wait and she was given first class treatment and care all the time. I have no complaints about it. Also when my little boy needed stitches over his eye after an accident there was no delay and he was in theatre, stitched up and home in no time.

    And don’t forget there is always A & E. Its there for emergencies and if you have a medical issue that needs urgent treatment then you can attend your A&E and they will see and access you. I know when I was waiting for treatment before I was told if it got really bad to go to A&E. Never did but it was there. Know it not supposed to be there to make up for ‘long waiting lists’ but if it an emergency and you do need urgent medical attention its always there.

    at€200 a month thats €2400 a year. Do you get €2400 worth from the service/

    #103024
    Moonflower
    Member

    very interesting…& i have a friend who even though had private HC…she was diagnosed with cancer & had to wait 3 weeks 2 get the operation needed to try to remove cancer 😯 not due to medical reasons due to not being able to fit her in!!! she only got it done after being rushed to A&E in terrible pain……

    #103035

    To be honest if it were me I’d be very slow to drop it altogether. Especially with 1 billion Euro of cuts to be found in the Health System next year….you can’t tell me that, that won’t affect the service to public patients. Would switching provider and lowering the cover you have make the cost more bearable? We recently switched from VHI to Aviva and are getting a better deal.

    #103039
    Taylor5
    Member

    Oh i dont know… we were talking last night and we might keep dh covered as the is the bread winner so if he needed anything done, he could get it done faster…. might drop myself and the kids.
    Mummy5 we have paid out all the money and not make a claim in years…… just thinking of what i could do with that money!
    I know it will be murphys law as soon as i cancel something will crop up 🙄

    #103057
    happymumblemum
    Participant

    I would keep it Taylor..wouldn’t dare ditch it once i had it IFYKWIM…maybe look for a cheaper provider…

    I would kill for it now with my dodgy teeth..would love to go private and be knocked out and get all stuff done in one go..

    #103067
    beams
    Member

    Personally I wouldnt get rid of it either Taylor but i suppose we are in a different boat with a child with a serious allergy ….we have used it over the past two years when she has been hospitalised overnight on two different occassions and it saved us a couple of grand each time. Its a tough one to decide alright – remember you need to be fit too to look after your 2 little ones and let your dh out to work so you need cover too 😉 Maybe you could look at a different type of plan. Tough one alright though 😕

    #103074
    Moonflower
    Member

    if you dont have health cover and one of your children needs to go in hospital…do you have to pay for the treatment then? can they not get treated as a public patient?? just wondering why it saved you a couple of grand…would we have to pay that as a public patient for an overnight stay & emergency treatment???

    #103075
    beams
    Member

    if you dont have health cover and one of your children needs to go in hospital…do you have to pay for the treatment then? can they not get treated as a public patient?? just wondering why it saved you a couple of grand…would we have to pay that as a public patient for an overnight stay & emergency treatment???

    Yes you do have to pay for treatment. Xrays, consultant fees, room stay ( we had a private room thankfully) , blood tests, prescriptions, any tests that have to be carried out – all this adds up and the VHI covered us for 1,800 the first time and 1,300 the second time.

    #103081
    Taylor5
    Member

    If you are public is all the xrays and bloods etc Free???? Sorry forgive my ignorance
    I was in the OLOL getting a big test done a few years back, i was in the day ward and i had a bed but i never got my ass on it, was in a chair then into the theatre then in recovery, seen consultant and then discharged…. Bupa were charged 1800 euro for that bed, plus the consultant, plus the theatre time… the girl next to me was getting same thing done and she was public.
    I think they hike up the cost of the private beds to make easy money!!
    I heard a few months ago that a mother got a bill for ICU that amounted to about 30,000 odd, i asked if she didnt have health cover what would she have to do, get a loan etc…. she said no if we were public the baby would have been treated for FREE….. the difference in cost just doesnt sound right

    #103085
    libby1
    Participant

    Hi

    Thats a difficult one – The time i’d stop it something would happen.
    I do think, once a women stops Child bearing there should be a reduction in pay
    I used for both my pregnacy’s and my dh used it two yrs a go for back surgery.

    My ds sees a specialist in Temple street regularly and thats all free.
    I have changed from VHI TO QUINN – did save some money…

    Def – a hard decision to make..

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