Is it worth getting health insurance

foxy06

I have been waiting nearly a year for an appointment for my 7 year old to see a Specialist for a problem that is both upsetting and embarrasing for a child his age and was just at another appointment this week for my daughter about her not feeding when she was a newborn. The appointment was this week and she is now 7 months old :rolleyes: Appointment was a waste of time being so late.

Now my husband pays a very small amount a week through his job towards a gp scheme and so my husband myself and 4 kids can see a doctor free of charge whenever we like. (Come to think of it I'm not sure VHI even cover gp visits so point may be void) Question is I have just looked up what it would cost to have myself, husband and the four kids covered by VHI and was shocked to discover it will cost 2,800 a year. Is it really worth it? I just want them to be seen when they NEED to be seen. Not bothered about going privately only it seems to be the only way to get seen. Any advice?

Ayla

Health insurance does have its perks - being seen faster is one of them, but even with the insurance you may still have to wait to be seen unless you're paying extra to see a private consultant. This cost is on top of your insurance premiums. Insurance does pay back a number of GP visits each year (you claim for them at the end of each year & they reimburse you the specified costs).

Just remember, though, if you get health insurance now that doesn't mean your son will be seen sooner through the plan. You'll still have a waiting period for treatment (6-12 months I think, although it may be more) because it'll be classified as a pre-existing condition.

foxy06

Would it be classed as a pre-existing condition though if he has not actually been diagnosed with anything yet?

lonestargirl

foxy06 wrote: »

Would it be classed as a pre-existing condition though if he has not actually been diagnosed with anything yet?

Yes, the time of onset is the time at which signs/symptoms start.

mariaalice

There is nothing to stop you asking your GP for a private referral and paying the consultant it will cost you anything from 100 to 200 euro, if you are really worried about your son its a good idea and you will get an appointment fairly quickly.

mattjack

foxy06 wrote: »

Would it be classed as a pre-existing condition though if he has not actually been diagnosed with anything yet?

yes as lonestargirl said.... our experience with one of the larger insurers was that that one of our sons was treated once for tonsillitis before we joined and ten times after we joined.He was treated as a baby and was given an antibiotic ,three and half years later when an operation was finally needed the insurer refused to cover him.
We told the insurer we would be leaving them and got an appointment to have him operated on as a public patient,after a bit of arguing with us the insurer offered to cover him and gave us a private date.
Bearing in mind this was about six yrs ago...the differance in dates for the procedure was less than a month.

foxy06

mariaalice wrote: »

There is nothing to stop you asking your GP for a private referral and paying the consultant it will cost you anything from 100 to 200 euro, if you are really worried about your son its a good idea and you will get an appointment fairly quickly.

Was thinking of doing this but what happens when he receives a diagnosis? Just go back to public or is it that simple?

Penny Dreadful

foxy06 wrote: »

Was thinking of doing this but what happens when he receives a diagnosis? Just go back to public or is it that simple?

That depends. If you find that surgery is required it would be prohibitive to pay for that yourself in a private setting. If, on the other hand, your son is seen, diagnosed and given a straightforward treatment plan that doesn't require follow up with the specialist then it won't be an issue. Alternatively, once you have your diagnosis, depending on what happens next you can opt to revert to the public system. However, you will then be subject to the same wait lists, times, etc as any other public patient, if you require MRIs, x-rays, etc.
Personally, I think private health insurance is a must have. Its worth remembering that VHI are not the only players in the market, and if you're looking to cut costs, look at only insuring your children and not yourselves.

Moonbeam

I feel that the health system in this country is inadequate in so many ways.
When people get treated it is excellent but getting that far can be hard work.
I would see health insurance as a necessity and not an option.

mariaalice

I didn't get the chance to answer this till today. If you pay for a private consultations what happens afterwards depends on a few things if the consultant has both a private list and a public list and if your son need something straight forward SOME consultants will juggle their public list and fit him in. On the other had if he need MRI scans etc. which you would have to pay for it would be different. Its worth a try and at least you will have a diagnoses.

cbyrd

Not for kids unfortunately... there's no private hospital for children in Ireland.. It's what most people don't know and what your health insurer won't tell you..this little fact... so often times it's not worth having private insurance for them... unless you get the GP cover for them to cover half the cost of the GP visit or half an A&E visit. A lot of them insist that you have a full 52 weeks paid before you can put in a claim
A lot of consultants aren't accepting private patients in public hospitals anymore so you'd be left going absolutely private and this can be really expensive.

I'm in a situation where the consultant i see is not taking anymore private patients and by going public i have had appointments cancelled and re-scheduled for 6 months later.. i can't even change doctor because she's the only one this side of the country that does it.. so for me having the insurance in this case is useless..
However when i was admitted to hospital in november last for 6 days everything was paid for by the insurance.. (over €2000) and then every january we send in our previous year's receipts for doctors physio dentist osteopath and the like and get between €50 & €70 % back. It's about €192 per month for our insurance..2 adults on a high cover and 3 children on basic cover. .
It's a hard one to say if you would benefit just for the children but it's the last thing i would cancel if money was tight. .

mariaalice

I have always has health insurance but I do wonder if its a good idea for children ...the only time my children needed to go in to hospital it was to set a broken arm she was in for one night she was admitted through A and E and got great treatment and in that situation it make no difference whether you have private health insurance or not.

If you have a long term chronic condition that's when private health insurance helps.