VHI New health insurance policy for 2 adults 3 kids

[music]

Dwe ear Snowyb and others,

Would you have any advice for me? We are due to renew our private health insurance on January 1st 2017. We are a family of 55: 2 adults 3 children under 18. currently we pay I think 2900 for us on
adults Company Plan plus select and kids on One Plan Family. we have been with the VHI for over 15 years.
We are all healthy thank goodness, we have no major illnesses or health conditions. Wust the usual family minor mishaps, trips to the doctor with winter viruses etc. We live in North Dublin.
we usually take the semi private cover in private hospitals, I think the 2 Dublin high-tech hospitals were included for certain doctor-dictated procedures and 80% cover for orthopaedic care in private hospitally.
We will have orthodontist work coming up for at least one teen shortly.
We may have an orthopaedic issues to be covered soon, a hip or knee keyhole surgery, not major hip replacement, just torn muscle. I have no idea how much this might cost.

The few times we have had to visit hospital for day care cases (bike accident etc) the excess has been E125 per visit, plus follow up visits to see consultants, also E125 excess per brief visit.
Apparently our policy for 2017 would be E2990. Is there anything less expensive out there? I am not excited about the daily excess of E125.
I would appreciate any advice you could offer.
Thanks very much.
Music

 

[snowyb]

Hi music,

With VHI, there are minimal savings to be made but the cover for adults has lower excess and a 1 euro excess for day to day cover.
Details as follows;
Adult alternative options;
1. PMI 41 15; Price 1254pa; public, private and hi-tech hospital cover as before, inpatient excess 75 per private/hi-tech admission, private/hi-tech day case is 50 per visit. Good day to day cover with a 1 euro excess.

2. One Plan; price 1147pa; public, private and hi-tech hospital cover as before, inpatient excess 125 per private/hi-tech admission or day case.
Limited day to day cover.
[broken link removed]
Note; one adult could choose One Plan to reduce costs.

Childrens alternative options;
1. One + Plan; price 145pa;(reduced price from 31/12/2016) public,private and hi-tech hospital cover as before, excess 125 per admission or day case in private/hi-tech hospitals. Limited day to day.

2. One Plan Complete; price 164pa; (reduced price from 31/12/2016) public, private and hi-tech hospital cover as before, no excess applies for admissions or day case visits. Limited day to day cover.
[broken link removed]


Laya Options;
Adult Alternative plans;
1. Simplicity Plan; price 1087pa; public, private and hi-tech hospital cover, max inpatient excess 100 x 2 per year, day case excess 50 per visit,
day to day cover included - first 100 not allowed. Cover included for a private room in a private hospital.

2. Simply Connect Plus; price 1201pa; public, private and hi-tech hospital cover, max inpatient excess 150 x 1 per year, day case excess 50 per
visit, day to day cover included - max limit per year 500.
[broken link removed]

Note; 3% charge applies if you pay by installments.

Childrens Laya alternative offer; special offer applies for children from 1/12/2017 where you pay for one child and the rest go free.
1. Essential Connect Family; price 227pa(cost of one child and the rest are free) public, private and Beacon hospital cover, private excess max 300 per policy per year, regardless of the number of peope on the policy. Limited day to day cover.
[broken link removed]

Good savings achievable with Laya; 1087 + 1087 + 227 = 2401 (including 3% charge 2473).
Another option is for one adult to choose Simplicity and children with Laya, while second adult stays with VHI PMI 41 15 if it suits.

Regards, Snowyb

 

[music]

Dear Snowyb,

I wanted to thank you for your excellent advice to me recently regarding a good family plan for my family with VHI and comparable alternatives. In this case you had suggested Laya.

We adults had previously been on VHI's Company Plan Plus Select and the quote starting 1.1.2017 was E1470 per adult. A particular bugbear of this plan from my perspective was the E125 excess payable on almost every ambulant daycare and semi-private hospital admission.

I have after your prompting regarding PMI 41 15, discovered a new policy from VHI called PM1 4316. This offers a lower ambulant day case excess of E50 but a higher overnight excess in semi-private and private (non high-tech ) hospitals of E150.
The only place where they seem to be retaining the E125 excess is for out-patient MRI scans in non-approved centres.
The payments for day-to-day cover (GPs, Consultants, Dental etc) is also much more generous or the visits paid for more numerous. e.g. instead of 4 GP visits per annum repaid at E25 per visit, they are allowing 12 visits repaid at E25 per visit. etc.
The price per person on this policy is E1,332.

The details of this policy are not yet on VHI's website- strange that, for people looking at plans and wishing to compare for commencment in January 2017..!


I also found what seems to be a better policy for the kids than One Plan Family. It is one Plan Complete. again I think the excess is reduced there.
Overall PM1 43 16 was about E230 better than our previois plan with much better day-to -day payments and a lower out patient day-care excess of E50.

Laya Healthcare's Simply connect Plus select is broadly similar at E110 pp, but the day to day amount you can claim back from it is limited to E500 pp per annum, whereas with the VHI PM1 43 16 the maximum claim is E3200 pp.

Many thanks for your guidance. It was very much appreciated.

 

[snowyb]

music,

There are usually last minute new plans released near 1st Jan renewal which turned out to be the case this year.
PMI 43 16 is best value plan at the moment, price 1136pa, once your ok with the 150 excess for admissions to private/hi-tech hospitals.
It is available now to view on the following link;
[broken link removed]

One Plan Complete is half price at the moment and has no excess to pay, good choice.

Regards, Snowyb