Best Health insurer - Maternity plan

Kaldo

Hi all,

I've been checking maternity plans offered by the 4-5 most known health insurers here in Ireland. I don't know which one to choose really.

What should I consider? Do you have recommendations?

Thanks

shesty

You need to consider if you are going public, semi private or private (semi-private is not available everywhere).
After that I don't think there are too many differences between the plans, tbh.Personal preference.
Just be aware if you are already pregnant and not insured and only looking at insurance now, you may have to serve out a waiting period, meaning that you may have to go public, as your costs for private won't be covered by your insurer by the time birth happens -depending on how long the waiting period is.

Kaldo

Thank you.

We're already pregnant and insured with Irish Life Cover but we've been checking VHI which seems better. At least from what I read.

To fact of being under a private health insurer, means we're already on private, right? How do we know if we are going under semi-private or private?

jellybear

You choose to go public, semi private or private. Just because you have insurance doesn't mean you have to go semi private or private.
If you choose to, you pay upfront if semi private or private and you may be able to claim a percentage back, depending on your insurance cover, and you can then claim tax back on the remainder.
Your best bet is to ring your current insurer and any company you are considering changing to with any questions you have as you don't want to move and have to serve a waiting period.

bee06

If you go private the most important difference will be how much they cover of your consultant fees and hospital stay.

If you go public, it’s mainly perks that you get. I’ve had two babies public and only claimed for an extra scan for both. I was Irish life for my 2nd and they give you a certain number of hours of a post natal doula, a cleaner, a week of meals and stuff like that ... all lovely stuff but I wouldn’t be moving insurance companies for it. As it turned out I had a lockdown baby so didn’t use it.

salmocab

Would you be covered if you moved insurer whilst already pregnant? Is it not akin to pre existing condition

silver2020

already pregnant and already insured and looking to see if alternatives are better?

That's not how insurance works.

It's like having a car crash and deciding to look for insurance afterwards.

Simply check your policy and see what is covered. It will all be online. You should be able to log into your health insurance details and see what level of cover you have under maternity cover.

As for thinking of moving to another insurer - not going to work out for you.

In any case, they all all mostly the same on similar cost plans.

shesty

Yeah so you decide what hospital care you want.Check what your plan covers first.Does it cover semi private or private maternity care?If it does and you decide you want that, you go to see a private consultant in the maternity hospital, you pay approx 3.5k in fees up front that you claim back through your insurance, and you get a private or semi private room afterwards, and possibly a couple of other perks, like 2 cleaner visits or similar.

If your plan does not cover that level of care the public maternity system is also just fine.Equally, you may have cover for private care and still chose to go public.

The insurer doesn't really matter, they will all offer plans that cover private care or semi private care.For example mine were Aviva (now Irish Life) and covered semi private.It costs a bit more for your premium, that's all.It doesn't matter so much who the insurer is, just what plan you chose, that's all.

You may not be able to switch provider in the middle of your current plan, unless it is almost up and you are renewing.In which case, I would still recommend checking waiting periods.

NicsM

Regardless of which health insurance provider you have, you’ll first need to choose which hospital you want to give birth in. If you’re based in/near Dublin then you have the choice of the National Maternity hospital (Holles Street), the Rotunda or the Coombe.

All have public, semi private and private options. If you go public you’ll be seen at a clinic with a midwife. If you go semi private or private then you can choose a consultant (ask your GP/friends for recommendations) and ring up the relevant clinic in the hospital to make a booking appointment,

Semi private and private care offer more scans but semi private doesn’t mean you’ll see your consultant at every appointment, you will see an obstetrician though. You’ll pay up front and then claim a portion back through your health insurer.

It does depend on your plan but many of the insurance providers offer prenatal benefits like extra foetal screening, prenatal yoga/Pilates and breastfeeding support. They’re not all must haves though so it depends what you feel you’ll need.

Congrats OP and best of luck!

Millem

bee06 wrote: »

If you go private the most important difference will be how much they cover of your consultant fees and hospital stay.

If you go public, it’s mainly perks that you get. I’ve had two babies public and only claimed for an extra scan for both. I was Irish life for my 2nd and they give you a certain number of hours of a post natal doula, a cleaner, a week of meals and stuff like that ... all lovely stuff but I wouldn’t be moving insurance companies for it. As it turned out I had a lockdown baby so didn’t use it.

You have up to a year to claim for some of those things and some are 6 months.

Frankie19

I have had private health insurance for both pregnancies. First I went public and currently pregnant with my second where I have gone private. Both pregnancies with the rotunda.

Going private your health insurance covers all aspects of your stay including a private room and any procedures while having the baby. However its does NOT cover the consultant fees. Some policies will allow you to claim up to a certain amount back ie mine is 500 euro. Consultant fees depend on who you choose. Mine are €3250 howver they can go up to €4500 for certain consultants. You are not guaranteed a private room...its only if one is available. So you could be paying for a public bed on a 10 bed ward with your insurance. You see your consultant every 4 weeks and are scanned at every appt. You are also in the private building which is much nicer and more relaxed I find.

Going public the cost of everything is covered however you don't get a consultant ( unless you have a condition that requires one) ..you see a different doctor every visit but do get scanned and also pre covid the wait times are long for appointments. You share a ward with up to 10 other women . You won't use your health insurance at all if you go public.


I went public with the first baby as I felt I was paying €3k essentially for a private room that I wasn't even guaranteed. However I have opted for private this time due to covid for that extra reassurance of having a consultant should I catch it and also to fingers crossed have the private room and not sharing with others . I also had a few issues in my first pregnancy that a consultant will.keep a closer eye on then if I was public.

Frankie19

Kaldo wrote: »

Thank you.

We're already pregnant and insured with Irish Life Cover but we've been checking VHI which seems better. At least from what I read.

To fact of being under a private health insurer, means we're already on private, right? How do we know if we are going under semi-private or private?

No. Just because you have private insurance does not mean you are private with the hospital. You have to opt in to be private...pick your consultant and pay their fees which are not covered by your insurance. If you go public you essentially don't use your insurance . Its not like normal hospitals whereby if you are admitted and have private insurance you get a private room and the perks. You have to choose beforehand If you want to be public, semi private or private.

jlm29

If you switch you’ll have to serve a waiting period for the “upgrade”, so it’s probably pointless at this point.

Speak Now

Going private with health insurance is a lot more expensive than going public with no health insurance.

bee06

Millem wrote: »

You have up to a year to claim for some of those things and some are 6 months.

Yeah, it’s a year but I still wouldn’t be comfortable having someone in the house with Covid and baby is 5 months now so don’t really feel the need for the extra help anyway.

Cash_Q

Speak Now wrote:

Going private with health insurance is a lot more expensive than going public with no health insurance.

There are zero charges if going public, none whatsoever, so yes it is more expensive to go private even if insured.

Frankie19 wrote:

You share a ward with up to 10 other women .

Holy crap that's a big ward! In the Coombe the maximum is 6 per ward. Lots come and go within a few hours of birth so there are not always 6 occupied beds. If all public wards are full a public patient can end up on a semi-private ward with a total of 4 patients.

Frankie19 wrote:

I also had a few issues in my first pregnancy that a consultant will.keep a closer eye on then if I was public.

I had multiple issues in my first pregnancy that only really arose at the very end, so I've had consultant led care throughout this pregnancy as a public patient. I haven't seen the same doctor by any means, but the level of care is excellent and I've had scans at every appointment plus extra growth scans.


Sorry I'm not meaning to contradict any of those particular posters I'm quoting there, just to clarify some of the items raised from the perspective of a public patient, should OP choose that route.

Millem

bee06 wrote: »

Yeah, it’s a year but I still wouldn’t be comfortable having someone in the house with Covid and baby is 5 months now so don’t really feel the need for the extra help anyway.

Get the dinners!!! I am must order them next week. I had my baby 2 weeks ago and we claimed car parking fees under partner expenses too.

bee06

Millem wrote: »

Get the dinners!!! I am must order them next week. I had my baby 2 weeks ago and we claimed car parking fees under partner expenses too.

I must have another look at them alright. Thanks for the reminder.

Congrats on the new arrival!

Kaldo

Are you actually able to claim even car parking expenses under the health insurance?

jellybear

Kaldo wrote: »

Are you actually able to claim even car parking expenses under the health insurance?

It depends on your cover. You need to go through your healthcare plan to see what is and is not included.
I was with VHI and did not have car parking expenses covered.

Millem

Kaldo wrote: »

Are you actually able to claim even car parking expenses under the health insurance?

If you are with Irish Life health it’s claimed under “partner expenses”.
My husband has Irish Life Health but I am with VHI.
I think it’s only 2 days you can claim for....parking and childcare up to €50.
Look at your plan.

lunamoon

The main thing to know is that none of the insurance companies will cover full semi private or private fees.

Some offer free pregnancy yoga, others give you home care packages of food or midwife visits.

Also to note that just because you pay to go private it doesn't entitle you to a private room. It's on a first come first serve basis on the day.

Frankie19

Cash_Q wrote: »

There are zero charges if going public, none whatsoever, so yes it is more expensive to go private even if insured.



Holy crap that's a big ward! In the Coombe the maximum is 6 per ward. Lots come and go within a few hours of birth so there are not always 6 occupied beds. If all public wards are full a public patient can end up on a semi-private ward with a total of 4 patients.



I had multiple issues in my first pregnancy that only really arose at the very end, so I've had consultant led care throughout this pregnancy as a public patient. I haven't seen the same doctor by any means, but the level of care is excellent and I've had scans at every appointment plus extra growth scans.


Sorry I'm not meaning to contradict any of those particular posters I'm quoting there, just to clarify some of the items raised from the perspective of a public patient, should OP choose that route.

Yep Rotunda has a few different wards with max being 10 bed. I was on 2 10 bed wards when admitted before the birth for monitoring and also after the birth. All beds full and even private patient's in my room....who were not happy :-) it really depends on how busy the hospital is in terms of your room experience.

Cash_Q

Frankie19 wrote:

Yep Rotunda has a few different wards with max being 10 bed. I was on 2 10 bed wards when admitted before the birth for monitoring and also after the birth. All beds full and even private patient's in my room....who were not happy :-) it really depends on how busy the hospital is in terms of your room experience.

Wow I can't imagine the noise...and visiting times must be crazy!!

Rebel83

Not sure where OP is based but the experience outside Dublin can be a little different. I am based in Cork so I'm CUMH & have opted for public, even though I have health insurance. The reason being is that I am happy with midwife led care & I know if I was to become high risk for any reason I would be seen by a consultant. Also the largest rooms are 4 bed with many only 2 bed rooms so quite comfortable - I personally don't see the point of paying €3-4k to see the same consultant every time & potentially have a private room (not guaranteed, allocated based on medical need first) as that's money I would rather spend on an extra month of unpaid leave. (NB - health insurance doesn't typically cover consultants fees or may only cover up to €500). I will use my health insurance to claim other things like antenatal classes, meals etc. after the baby arrives.

I have chosen to pay for 2 extra scans during my pregnancy though which gave me extra peace of mind & allowed my partner to come. I have also been seen twice at Emergency for reduced movement & I've had multiple physio appts for - so far the care has been fantastic on the public system so I am happy with my choice. I also have friends & family who needed consultant led care due to higher risk, which they automatically received free of charge in CUMH based on their risk.

I understand the covid restrictions have made waiting times for antenatal check ups much better - if I was in Dublin I would probably opt for semi private.

Outkast_IRE

Rebel83 wrote: »

Not sure where OP is based but the experience outside Dublin can be a little different. I am based in Cork so I'm CUMH & have opted for public, even though I have health insurance. The reason being is that I am happy with midwife led care & I know if I was to become high risk for any reason I would be seen by a consultant. Also the largest rooms are 4 bed with many only 2 bed rooms so quite comfortable - I personally don't see the point of paying €3-4k to see the same consultant every time & potentially have a private room (not guaranteed, allocated based on medical need first) as that's money I would rather spend on an extra month of unpaid leave. (NB - health insurance doesn't typically cover consultants fees or may only cover up to €500). I will use my health insurance to claim other things like antenatal classes, meals etc. after the baby arrives.

I have chosen to pay for 2 extra scans during my pregnancy though which gave me extra peace of mind & allowed my partner to come. I have also been seen twice at Emergency for reduced movement & I've had multiple physio appts for - so far the care has been fantastic on the public system so I am happy with my choice. I also have friends & family who needed consultant led care due to higher risk, which they automatically received free of charge in CUMH based on their risk.

I understand the covid restrictions have made waiting times for antenatal check ups much better - if I was in Dublin I would probably opt for semi private.

We are also Cork and have taken the same approach as you. As a matter of fact my wife gave birth last Monday 1 month early (Baby & Mother Healthy & Doing Well) . From a clinical perspective i think in her scenario the outcome would of been the same public or private for this pregnancy. She was generally happy with the midwife led approach and did see the doctor when required and was assigned a consultant when she went into the higher risk category right at the end.

So in Cork at least, there is a strong argument that if you are not in the higher risk category early in the pregnancy you are unlikely to get much additional benefit from being private. The only benefit is going to a private setting for the scans , but most days the CUMH is good and get through them quickly.

If you are high risk, nervous or had a previous pregnancy with any difficulties the additional cost of going private of approx 3.5-4K may be worth it for piece of mind but it doesnt really get you any higher a level of care as noted above a private room may not be available , or your consultant may not be available for the birth. The midwives in CUMH are generally very good and on the ball with picking up any issues.

As above we paid for an extra scan in the middle of the pregnancy , because partners were not allowed into the hospital for them due to Covid 19.

shesty

They are very strict about visiting in the Rotunda to be fair, it is very well managed.2 visitors passes given per mother, and the dad uses one, so visitors must have a pass to get up.So you might have a few people visiting but they have to take it in turns of 2 people for each trip up from reception.Security do a round about 30mins after the 2 alloted visiting times each day to clear people out, and they have rules about kids only being allowed in one of the slots (I can't remember exact details).It can get a bit busy but you generally know they will be removed after about 2 hours, so it is tolerable.

lazygal

Private was 100% worth the money for me.
It should be a national scandal that people are paying for essential scans in what's supposed to be a free maternity care system. I don't think I'd trust a hospital that didn't bother to scan me at every visit. I know so many people myself included who had issues picked up at routine scans.

pwurple

Same as above, I'm in Cork. Public on both pregnancies. Had a double room with only me in it for one, and a double room with one other woman for the other. I saw a consultant and was scanned at every single appointment.

Check your hospital before committing, as they vary dramatically based on where you are.

I also wouldn't advise changing health cover mid-pregnancy.

Pixie8

I went semi private in the Coombe recently. Main advantage seemed to be the waiting times - I was rarely waiting longer than 15 mins to be seen. You're randomly assigned a consultant and its luck of the draw whether you see them on the day, I only saw the consultant twice through the whole pregnancy, didn't bother me throughout but towards the end would have been nice to see the same person, especially if issues arise. You see a midwife as well at every appointment and the midwife's will ultimately deliver the baby so no difference there.

I ended up attending the public clinic for my last two appointments when I went overdue and found it excellent, just had to wait longer to be seen, more queing. In terms of room, my policy covered private room in public hospital so I had my own room after the birth which was lovely (ensuite, more space, quiet) but definitely a little isolated with no visitors in covid times.

Was in for a few days before giving birth in the semi private ward (5 bed but only a max of 4 in there when i was there ) which was grand and very quiet. I think I'd go semi private again, think I worked out it cost me a little over 400 in total when you take into account health insurance, med tax relief. Can't compare to public but felt it was worth it.

Cash_Q

shesty wrote:

They are very strict about visiting in the Rotunda to be fair, it is very well managed.2 visitors passes given per mother, and the dad uses one, so visitors must have a pass to get up.So you might have a few people visiting but they have to take it in turns of 2 people for each trip up from reception.Security do a round about 30mins after the 2 alloted visiting times each day to clear people out, and they have rules about kids only being allowed in one of the slots (I can't remember exact details).It can get a bit busy but you generally know they will be removed after about 2 hours, so it is tolerable.

Thats good at least, in the Coombe up to 4 can be at each bedside and I saw more than that at some beds during the 'kiddies' visiting hours in the afternoon. 10 beds with 2 visitors is still 20 people though. I am glad that visiting is extremely scaled back with Covid although it does mean that visitors that would have been and gone in a limited timeframe in hospital will now be looking to come to the house and its harder to get rid of them without security to kick them out :P