Private health insurance for toddlers - any benefit?

Turbulent Bill

I have to renew my private health insurance at the end of the year, and need to decide what to do about my daughter's cover. She's one now, and was covered for free this year as a newborn, but I'm assuming it'll be normal child rates for 2013.

Can anyone share their experiences of where private health insurance for a toddler was an advantage, or recommend a plan? We've had a few runs to Temple St. with her (nothing major) but she was always treated as a public patient - private wasn't even an option for an A&E visit.

In case anyone gets the wrong idea, I obviously want the best cover for her, but I haven't seen a plan properly geared towards young kids. Covering her on my own plan makes little sense as most of the benefits seem to be adult-only, and by default kids seem to be treated as public patients. At the moment I'd rather spend the premium on her directly than buy a policy she can't really use.

cch

Does your policy cover day-to-day expenses, especially GP expenses? That's where I find health insurance for my daughter is most useful!

lazygal

The only time it might be of benefit is where your child might need an elective proceedure done. I asked my parents about this and they actually took us off their health insurance at a young age and saved the money into a health spending account. They used this for GP visits and for one time when my brother needed to see a private consultant.

My sister had a lot of health problems from a very young age, was always seen in the public system and got excellent care. The general consensus from friends with young children is that unless you can negotiate free cover its not a worthwhile expense. Most if not all of the expertise for paediatrics is in the public system anyway. You might need to see a private consultant for a speech and language assessment or something, but you'd pay for that anyway.

cyning

I'm not in Dublin so I don't know if it's different but when my little girl had to go into hosp she was admitted onto the childrens ward in the Bons. We'd had her in A&E in KGH at 4 weeks and she needed to be seen at a max between 4-6 weeks later. She got the appt for 22 weeks when she was 17 weeks.

In contrast privately I got a letter from GP on a Fri (after chasing up KGH and getting nowhere:they told me when I rang she had never been referred to outpatients which was a lie) and posted it to consultant got an appt for the following Thurs and she was brought into hosp that Sunday, had tests etc done and now she's fine again. There is a massive difference in the level of care there and I would definately keep it on.

Also the day to day expenses are very important for me too.

Turbulent Bill

cch wrote: »

Does your policy cover day-to-day expenses, especially GP expenses? That's where I find health insurance for my daughter is most useful!

It pays about €25 per visit (I think), but the GP usually charges €50. My daughter has only ended up there about 6 times this year (touch wood), so the total benefit will be about €150. I don't have a new policy quote for her yet but the premium will be a multiple of this.

There are options for better policies that would cover the full GP cost, but you'd need a lot of visits for it to be worthwhile.

Turbulent Bill

lazygal wrote: »

The only time it might be of benefit is where your child might need an elective proceedure done. I asked my parents about this and they actually took us off their health insurance at a young age and saved the money into a health spending account. They used this for GP visits and for one time when my brother needed to see a private consultant.

My sister had a lot of health problems from a very young age, was always seen in the public system and got excellent care. The general consensus from friends with young children is that unless you can negotiate free cover its not a worthwhile expense. Most if not all of the expertise for paediatrics is in the public system anyway. You might need to see a private consultant for a speech and language assessment or something, but you'd pay for that anyway.

This is along the lines I was thinking, i.e., save the premium in an account and use it as necessary. The worry is that you'd be faced with an enormous bill if the kid had a serious condition and the public option wasn't available (or available in time). I get the impression that kids are prioritised and end up being treated publicly anyway (no private option), but it's still a concern. Different story for adults, especially for elective stuff.

Turbulent Bill

cyning wrote: »

I'm not in Dublin so I don't know if it's different but when my little girl had to go into hosp she was admitted onto the childrens ward in the Bons. We'd had her in A&E in KGH at 4 weeks and she needed to be seen at a max between 4-6 weeks later. She got the appt for 22 weeks when she was 17 weeks.

In contrast privately I got a letter from GP on a Fri (after chasing up KGH and getting nowhere:they told me when I rang she had never been referred to outpatients which was a lie) and posted it to consultant got an appt for the following Thurs and she was brought into hosp that Sunday, had tests etc done and now she's fine again. There is a massive difference in the level of care there and I would definately keep it on.

Also the day to day expenses are very important for me too.

Was the consultant private (and hence your girl was treated privately), or did the GP letter just put pressure on a public consultant?

cyning

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

Was the consultant private (and hence your girl was treated privately), or did the GP letter just put pressure on a public consultant?

No all totally private: as I said there might not be that option for you but the Bons here is fantastic.

Hannibal Smith

The only time it helped us was with my son's eye....he needed to see an ophamologist...crumlin waiting list was too long we went private. we claimed the visit back on the insurance. I couldn't tell you the exact amount we got back because it went in with all other receipts. day to day doctor visits is definitely worth it though.

What I also do is send in my receipts to my tax office and get whatever from them, less what the insurance company have paid. id say they hate the sight of my writing because my application cones with a thesis sized balance sheet lol

How Strange

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending in how you look at it, you won't know the value of private health insurance until you need it. I had to use mine this year for a colonoscopy that would've taken months and months as a public patient. My husband had his wisdom teeth taken out on his last year. We have it for our son although I hope we never have to use it. The only thing it's useful for on a day to day basis is reclaiming part of the doctors expenses.

layviae

i never had health insurance for either myself or my son but when he was 18 months old i wished i did. he developed a problem excreating waste and became very blocked up. he would hold it and hold it and when he did go he would scream the house down and would bleed very badly. i brought him to the gp repeatedly and eventually got a letter for a consultant. all was going well till i found out that it was an 18month waiting list for a gastroentrology consult in our ladys on the public system. that ment that i had to watch my little one scream and bleed from the time he was 18 months old till he was 3 years old with no idea why he has rectal bleading (its also a sign of boul cancer) eventally i borrowed the money for a private consult and got an appoinment within 6 weeks, he was fine and need a very simple treatment BUT i was taking a risk going private without health insurance as if it had been something very serious i wouldnt have been allowed back into the public system without starting the process again, and any hospital vists and operations would have cost hundreds of thousands and im not sure if i would have even been able to get loans to pay that never mind how i would have been able to pay it back
we still dont have health insurance bit if we weren't only just surving as it is it would be something i would defitinally get. its defitinly worth having it and not having to watch your child suffer

January

layviae wrote: »

i never had health insurance for either myself or my son but when he was 18 months old i wished i did. he developed a problem excreating waste and became very blocked up. he would hold it and hold it and when he did go he would scream the house down and would bleed very badly. i brought him to the gp repeatedly and eventually got a letter for a consultant. all was going well till i found out that it was an 18month waiting list for a gastroentrology consult in our ladys on the public system. that ment that i had to watch my little one scream and bleed from the time he was 18 months old till he was 3 years old with no idea why he has rectal bleading (its also a sign of boul cancer) eventally i borrowed the money for a private consult and got an appoinment within 6 weeks, he was fine and need a very simple treatment BUT i was taking a risk going private without health insurance as if it had been something very serious i wouldnt have been allowed back into the public system without starting the process again, and any hospital vists and operations would have cost hundreds of thousands and im not sure if i would have even been able to get loans to pay that never mind how i would have been able to pay it back
we still dont have health insurance bit if we weren't only just surving as it is it would be something i would defitinally get. its defitinly worth having it and not having to watch your child suffer

My daughters cardiologist transferred her care to the public system after our first, private, consultation without having to wait again.

Ms2011

January wrote: »

My daughters cardiologist transferred her care to the public system after our first, private, consultation without having to wait again.

Our consultant did the same in Temple St.

Turbulent Bill

Thanks for all the responses, very useful. I'm thinking a minimal-cost policy (i.e., cover for critical, expensive conditions but no day-to-day expenses) might be a reasonable compromise here, will have to get some quotes. We can put some money aside for private outpatient consultations if necessary - my real worry is about having cover for inpatient care for a serious condition.