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Just a warning on health insurance - re excess

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  • 06-05-2011 3:48pm
    #1
    Don17
    Registered Users Posts: 173 ✭✭


    Not sure if this should be in consumer issues or rip off Ireland
    I have a policy with Quinn insurance and put my daughter on it last year
    My policy was due for renewal in January 2011 and I put her on in December 2010
    While making a claim for 2010, I have now been told that my excess is 400 for the whole year of 2010 as there are now 2 people on the policy and we are assessed as a family even thou she was only on the policy for 2 months.
    Logically then I should be able to either claim for her for the whole of 2010 if they were lumping me with an excess for the whole of 2010 or else my excess would only be as a portion of the time she was on it i.e. 2 months , 1/6 year so about 30 euro?

    Seems very unfair and totally illogical but I guess that’s what we have come to expect at this stage.
    I was told that this is just the way it is, once you become a policy holder with 2 people on it your excess goes up for the whole year regardless.
    But I think that accepting things as just the way they are has got this country into the mess it’s in (Rant over!)


    So I think roughly in total I have 480 to claim off Quinn and my daughter has 60, so together 540
    I can therefore claim for 140 (excess 400 – 540)
    If I hadn’t put her on I could claim for 280 (excess 200 – 480)

    So basically don’t put anyone on your health insurance half way through the year!!!!!!!!!


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    homer911
    Registered Users Posts: 5,119 ✭✭✭homer911


    Also seems to apply if changing cover part way through the year - excess on new cover applies to the entire year


  • Options
    #3
    amen
    Registered Users Posts: 2,781 ✭✭✭amen


    I would argue this with them in writing and go through their complain procedure and each time you send them a letter send a copy to the Financial Regulator and tell them you are doing this. Keep a copy for yourself.

    They only charged you a prorata fee for adding the child and ask them where in the policy documents it says that if you add someone the excess goes up for the entire policy period and that it is not prorated.


  • Options
    #4
    NuMarvel
    Registered Users Posts: 3,279 ✭✭✭NuMarvel


    homer911 wrote: »
    Also seems to apply if changing cover part way through the year - excess on new cover applies to the entire year

    That's definitely not right. Changing cover basically creates a new contract. Assuming the renewal date is unchanged, you should have two pro rata excesses - one for the old cover and one for the new. Even if the renewal date did change, then the period of cover on the old plan should still have a pro rata excess.

    However, and this applies to the OP as well, the out-patient benefit on the older, standard plans isn't great in the first place so you may not get much out of it in any case. Only a certain amount is allowed per treatment type, and the excess is deducted from the sum of all allowed costs, not the sum of the actual costs.


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