Is Childrens Health Insurance Worth It?

discombobulate

My health insurance is paid for through work. I also have my daughter on the policy at an extra €350 for the year. It's not a stretch to pay this but do I really get anything from it? I know previously you could claim back doc visits etc.

The only minor issue she has is that she had to wear a hip brace for a couple of months and still has to go back for a scan every 3 months to see how her hip is progressing. My understanding is that the childrens hospitals are all public and even if she did need an op on this in the future it'd be minor and she'd be on a public waiting list regardless.

Any advice appreciated.

paulers06

Personally, I wouldn't be without health insurance and think that it's for all ages. I've seen how long it has taken uninsured friends to get appointments, scans, tests etc and that would be my main worry if something unexpected were to happen. I've had friends in very similar circumstances where they both had irregular test results. One was seen privately in a week or two, the other waited 6 months + for a follow up appointment and turns out she was the one that ended up being sick. Six months is a long time to wait when you're worried about your health. Health insurance also gives you more choice of facilities and specialists

DavyD_83

Health Insurance is essentially betting against staying healthy (Terry Pratchett explains it in more detail), not to say you shouldn't get it because it jinxes you or anything like that, just you can't really know the outcome in advance.

We currently have a 16 month old, who suffered from a number of minor things over past year and half which resulted in a good few trips to the Dr (no free GP where we go), and most recently a procedure which would have cost €700 if we went privately without insurance.

In our case, insurance has turned out to be the cheaper option, but this will not always be the case.
The other alternative is to go public with everything (I am aware that for many people this may be the only available option, but I am assuming not in OPs case, as the question is being asked).
Personally, I would not let my daughter wait to get something for free that I can pay to get in a more reasonable time frame.
In the past 16 months we have been for at least 6 tests, all of which we were told could take at least a year to schedule if going Public (and each would only have been organised after the first was completed).

We now have a diagnosis and treatment, rather than waiting to see if she grows out of it as suggested even by some private consultants we had spoken to (which I know know fully she would not have).

In an emergency situation (crash, accident etc) they will get the same treatment regardless. I previously would have argued that this was all that maters. As a parent, I now realise it is not this simple, aches, pains and unidentifiable symptoms matter almost as much as broken bones and without money (directly, for private care; or indirectly, through insurance) it is near impossible to get them treated & investigated to the level children deserve.

^That turned into a longer spiel than I meant

TLDR; nobody can know if Health insurance is worth getting in advance, but if actually needed for your child you will be very glad you have it.
Based on my recent experiences, I would spend the money just in case.

discombobulate

Thanks for the replies. Never got a notification for them. That gives me a good idea of where it is useful to have. My confusion was around when it is possible to use health insurance to get faster care as i'd been told by a colleague that everything goes through the public childrens hospitals without any difference between having and not having insurance.

PaulM1977

Look at the option of only having hospital cover for your daughter and remove the day to day care, as GP visits are free for under 6 and possibly for under 12 in the near future so you may not need this cover for her unless she goes to physio for her hip or a chiropractor.
Otherwise hospital cover only might be the better option.