# Medical Card and Private Health Insurance



## TheFatMan (8 Nov 2011)

Hi Folks

Interesting situation for someone I work with. Due to family, financial and medical circumstances person currently has a medical card for 2011 covering whole family and is re-applying for same for 2012.

1 child has a significant medical condition that requires extensive surgery etc next year and she is contemplating joining a private health insurance scheme through our company (pre-exisiting conditions covered and no waiting period for coverage) to help expedite and cover the costs of the MRIs and scans etc that will be needed as part of the childs treatment. Basically 1 adult and 1 child coverage. 

Would membership of a private health insurance scheme exclude her from holding a medical card at the same time?


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## Slim (8 Nov 2011)

TheFatMan said:


> Hi Folks
> 
> Due to family, financial and medical circumstances person currently has a medical card for 2011 covering whole family and is re-applying for same for 2012.
> 
> ...


 
The guidelines are here [broken link removed]

It would seem that simply by virtue of being in a position to take out PHI through a workplace scheme would not, in itself, exclude your colleague from holding a medical card on hardship grounds. However, you never know these days how it might be viewed by the PCRS/HSE.


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## TheFatMan (8 Nov 2011)

Thanks Slim

had reviewed that alright but it doesnt address the PHI issue directly. But I guess the situation would rarely arise that someone with a medical card could afford PHI but in this case 1 MRI will cost €600 privately so surgery can go ahead early in new year. 

Otherwise kid has to wait nearly 7 months for an MRI. PHI will cost just under €1K and insure this type of issue wont arise again.


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## Black Sheep (8 Nov 2011)

Lots of people have medical cards and PHI


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## desperatedan (10 Nov 2011)

Black Sheep said:


> Lots of people have medical cards and PHI



Include me in, I have Quinn Company Care, and I was awarded a three-year Medical Card, in 2010, due to my Medical Condition, Cancer.

So, AFAIK, there is no problem here, at least not in my case.......it really does depend on personal and family circumstances, and the case you can make, including all medical reports and consultants reports, etc.


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## STEINER (10 Nov 2011)

I have both. Am on regular expensive prescription medication which the medical card takes care of. The other day as an outpatient I got an IV drug, the cost was 2k. I don't know which paid for this, probably Quinn healthcare.  Out of curiosity, I just did a rough tot of my monthly meds prices as an outpatient, 3000e for monthly tablets and 2000e for a monthly oral suspension, thankfully the medical card takes care of this.


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