Still paying VHI for deceased father.

Monica Christine

Hi All

My mother always paid for both herself and my father in the VHI.
Sadly, he passed away a few months ago. She then noticed that they started taking a little more out of her pension to pay for him. She rang them up and said that this was because he had been in hospital so much over the summer. She told him that he had now died and they are still charging her for his policy.

Can they do this? They take it out of her pension.

Thanks
Monica

Merowig

Doesn't sound right.

How can they take VHI contributions directly out of the state pension? Doesn't sound possible?

Perhaps the Ombudsman can help
https://www.financialombudsman.ie/

Sue Pa Key Pa

I presume you mean it is a pension relating to a former employment of your mother, where various DDs are processed.

Anyway, health insurance is community rated, not claims related, so the number of times he was in hospital shouldn't affect the premium

Monica Christine

Thanks for your replies

My father was made unemployed during the economic downturn of the eighties. My mother, who had stayed at home to raise us, then got a job with Southern Health Board. She was in her forties. She then joined the VHI on their scheme and included my father. She retired aged 65 and her pension is tiny. Each month she received her pension with the VHI payment already taken out. By the start of this year, she was actually getting about €1 a month after the VHI had been taken out. MY father died in early September and she rang the VHI to let them know that he had died and why was my father's VHI fee after going up a bit. The person on the phone said that he had used it a lot that year. I find that bizarre. As you say above, it shouldn't affect the premiums. However, after telling them that he had died, she was surprised to see that they were still taking the money out of her pension. Are they entitled to charge the dead for the rest of that year?

Thanks Monica

Mrs OBumble

She would have to look at her contract, it sounds like this is a bit different to a regular health insurance that someone would buy today.

elperello

Get on to the Health Insurance Authority.
It's their area of expertise.

http://www.hia.ie/

Monica Christine

Thanks vary much. I will do that.

Monica

GerardKeating

Monica Christine wrote: »

Thanks vary much. I will do that.

Monica

Are you talking about monthly installment for a Policy, technically monthly installments are a loan repayment, the policy is paid in full at the start, then "lend" you the money, and it is repaid over the year.

Sue Pa Key Pa

GerardKeating wrote: »

Are you talking about monthly installment for a Policy, technically monthly installments are a loan repayment, the policy is paid in full at the start, then "lend" you the money, and it is repaid over the year.

I agree with you there. It still doesn't explain why the premium could go up because of the claims made. That shouldn't happen with health insurance

ash23

Are you sure they didn't say that premiums had increased due to an increase in claims as opposed to HIS claims?

That's a standard enough response to a "why have premiums increased?" question but some people misinterpret it as a "YOUR claims have increased" rather than a general claims increase from all members.

Perhaps get your mother to call VHI and give permission for you to discuss the policy and then you'll be able to ask them and hear the explanations as to why the amount has increased and why your mother is still paying for your father after his passing (which sounds wrong to me). It might clear it up a bit.

Monica Christine

Hi All

Thanks for your responses. I will ask her again. It is my understanding that when she looked at it, her costs had stayed the same while his had risen.

Thanks Again.

Monica

Zagato

Does sound strange. My father died earlier this year and they were very sensitive about this. My mother always paid his premium and they refunded her any monies taken out for his premium after he died quite quickly.

VHI will only cover you for 6months inpatient treatment in any one year, but it is up to the hospital (like with any other excesses) to get the extra money from you, VHI can't come looking for it.

Monica Christine

Hi There

My father would have spent about two months in hospital on and off between June and September.


Regards

Monica