Is child health insurance worth it?

jamboambo1

Myself and my husband pay health insurance for ourselves and my 1 year old daughter. Is it worth paying private health insurance for a child?
Am I correct in saying there are no private hospitals for children in Ireland.
I pay private health insurance so that i don't end up at the end of a very long queue should something happen to one of us.
In my daughters case if something happened to her, our private health insurance would make no difference.

Is there any point in paying it or is it all a big scam. I am happy to pay it if is necessary but at the moment i genuinely can't see what the benefits are

twowheelsonly

My daughter was scheduled for a 'pre-op' operation on her back in Crumlin last November which was cancelled at the last minute and has yet to be rescheduled. When we enquired as to how long it would take and if having private insurance mattered we were informed that it only meant that she could get faster out-patients appointments, not in-patient services.
I fully understand that there will always be emergency priority cases but we're already waiting a long time, with the child in constant pain, and look to be set to be waiting longer.
On top of that, this is the first of a series of operations that she will require and as she turns 18 next September I will have to inquire as to where we stand regarding her insurance. She will also be entering her leaving cert year in school and this could cause severe disruption. It makes me wonder why I bother paying the insurance in the first place.

Edit: Child has Cerebral Palsy and Scoliosis of the Spine which is worsening, hence the need for the operations.

skippy2

In my opinion if you are youngish - prob under 50 and in good health - take the chance do without HI at all and save the money. If you have an emergency you will be dealt with and in a couple of years have saved a small fortune. I think we are getting into a habit in this country of being brainwashed into insuring for/against everything

NuMarvel

There are no child-specific private hospitals in Ireland, but children can and are admitted to private hospitals, generally for more routine operations. I know people whose children have had gromits, tonsils and the like done in private hospitals.

For emergencies or serious cases, health insurance won't make much of a difference in waiting times. But for less serious illnesses it can give more options which usually means shorter waiting times.

Bakemate

I rang a few hospitals and was told the age limit for private hospitals was 16, so I don't see why your daughter couldn't get treated in a private hospital and get seen quicker. Maybe it's the case that children attending a children's hospital, won't get inpatient treatment faster with health insurance but once you've access to private hospitals, it certainly makes a difference.

broker2008

Elective surgery is where private & high tech hospitals can be a huge advantage for cutting waiting times for children.

miniml

Hi I really need some help and advise. my daughter who is 2 has been diagonised with a whole in her heart and needs heart surgery within the next few months. my head was spinning in the consultants room and i didnt ask all the questions i need answering.
we dont have private health insurance, i do have a medical card but it is due to expire in june. will i have to pay for the operation and how much would it cost. it is horrible and i feel awful that it is coming down to money but i really need to know what to expect.
would love anybodys help
xxxx

NuMarvel

Hi miniml. The cost depends on if your daughter is being treated as a public patient or a private patient. If it's public, then the only charge you'll have is €75 per night for a maximum of ten nights per year. That covers the hospital, the operation, the doctors, nurses, and so on. And if you still have the medical card, then it's free.

If she's being treated as a private patient, then the charge depends on the hospital and how long she's in for.

If the consultant appointment was public (i.e. you didn't have to pay for it), then your daughter is probably being admitted publicly. Plus, I don't think any of the private hospitals would perform an operation like that on a child, they wouldn't have enough children being admitted for that to gain the relevant experience. You can ring the consultant's office to make sure.

Hope that helps a little, and I'm sure she's in very good hands. But don't ever be afraid to ask the doctor questions afterwards. In fact, whenever you're meeting the doctor next it might be a good idea to ask them who you can talk to if you have questions after the visit.

miniml

Hi NuMarvel,
Thanks for your reply we were on the public waiting list in crumlin but we were told it would be 18mts before she got to see a doctor so we paid the 160 to get her seen privately So im not sure if you would call us public or a private paitent.


My mum is frightening me to death she keeps telling me im going to have to pay 20000 euro at least. i really hope she is wrong as i dont know how we will get that much money.

Thanks