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Health Insurance - a few queries on getting setup

  • 18-06-2020 6:37pm
    #1
    St1mpMeister
    Registered Users Posts: 502 ✭✭✭


    Following on from my previous thread regarding health insurance, I've a few queries regarding getting setup....

    - Seeing as there are only 3 players to choose from Laya, VHI and Irish Life, is there any benefit going through a broker, or should I just go on https://www.hia.ie/ and select the cheapest plan that matches my requirements?

    - A colleague of mine mentioned that he was able to get on a "PMI" plan (I think through the VHI) where it was a plan designed for corporate entities but was available to anyone and it worked out cheaper than just going for a standard plan with the same identical benefits? Is this something I should discuss with VHI?

    - For Inpatient Excess on the hia.ie site, the default they have of €600 seems quite high, would €250 be more along the average most people opt for?

    Thanks!


Comments

  • #2
    St1mpMeister
    Registered Users Posts: 502 ✭✭✭St1mpMeister


    My initial searches on hia.ie turned up 4 possible ones.

    3 of them have full cover in Beacon Hospital and no cover for Blackrock / Mater
    1 of them has full cover for Blackrock / Mater and no cover in Beacon Hospital.


    I'm not au fait with the benefits of Mater / Blackrock over Beacon, so what would be the benefit for me (male) of choosing one over the other?


  • #3
    coylemj
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,479 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    St1mpMeister wrote: »
    I'm not au fait with the benefits of Mater / Blackrock over Beacon, so what would be the benefit for me (male) of choosing one over the other?

    No direct benefit, they’re pretty much the same in terms of equipment like MRI etc.

    The effect for you will be in your choice of consultant. Most private consultants will only carry out procedures in one or two hospitals and a lot of them are based in one place only. So if your GP is about to send you to a consultant to fix a problem with your knee, you will need to tell him/her which hospitals you’re covered in as that may exclude certain consultants who do not carry out procedures there.

    Your GP will say something along the following lines: ‘Mr. Smith in the Hermitage is good at this, are you covered for the Hermitage?’


  • #4
    St1mpMeister
    Registered Users Posts: 502 ✭✭✭St1mpMeister


    I suppose it's probably better to have cover for 2 private hospitals than 1 in that case as it probably expands range of consultants that would be available

    Should I approach a broker for possibly better rates, or are the plans more or less priced the same as if I apply on my own?


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