# Value of Mid-level Policies?



## PolkaDot (13 Mar 2012)

I know there are several threads discussing the general value of health insurance. My query relates more to the mid-range policies which have partial cover for private hospitals.

I do not currently have health insurance and I wouldn’t really have a good knowledge of medical and hospital costs in general, so forgive my ignorance!

What I am trying to establish is, is there any point in having a policy that covers maybe 25-50% of the costs of medical treatment in a private hospital? It appears to me that the chances are that you would not be able to afford the remaining percentage which is not covered, and therefore are going to end up using a public hospital anyway?

Would it be best to simply decide whether you only want cover in a public hospital (i.e. a very basic plan) or if you want private cover, get 80-100% cover (i.e. a higher level plan)?

I have been researching relatively basic plans recently, up to a cost of approx €700. I am a 27 year old male with no history of any major illness. I’m still debating whether I should bother with health insurance or not, but if I do go for it, I think I would be content to just get cover for public hospitals. I probably average one GP visit per year so I don’t really see the point in getting any day-to-day cover. So I’m currently thinking of taking out one of the entry level plans e.g. VHI One Plan Starter / Quinn Essential First or Starter.

Would there be any value in me paying an extra €100-€150 and having partial cover for private hospitals? Some Quinn policies have partial private cover with a shortfall of €260-€400 per night. 5 nights in a private hospital would mean a cost for me of €1000-€2000 and I’d probably just go public. The entry level Aviva policy is €569 and is more expensive than Quinn/VHI entry level. This has 50% private cover, but as I said, would you cough up the remaining 50% or just go public?

Could anyone advise me as to whether I should consider a mid-level plan with partial private hospital cover?


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## huskerdu (29 Mar 2012)

I assume what you mean by " go Public" is to get cover for private beds in a public hospital. 

If you actually "go public" there is no fee and your PHI is irrelevant. 

I agree that there would be little benefit in getting partial cover for private hospitals, if you don't want to pay the excess.


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## PolkaDot (29 Mar 2012)

Sorry yes, I meant a basic level of PHI which covered you for private beds in a public hospital.

I decided to go for a policy which has more or less full private cover (except some of the hi-tech) but there is an excess of €150 to pay.

I'm happy to pay that much of an excess and know that it's fixed at that amount.

The policies which offer you 50% private cover just don't seem worth it to me. The other 50% could be tens of thousands of Euro which you'd have no chance of paying!


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## PolkaDot (19 Feb 2013)

Currently researching HI policies as I am due to renew. The policy I was on has gone up by €130 so I'm looking to go for something at a similar price to what I paid last year. This is going to mean reduced cover.

Decided to bump this thread to see if anyone has any different opinions a year since I started it?! Can anyone justify a policy to me which gives say 50% cover in Private Hospitals?

Am I missing something?


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## snowyb (19 Feb 2013)

Hi PolkaDot,

What plan are you on at present and what is your renewal date?

Snowyb


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## PolkaDot (22 Feb 2013)

I'm currently on VHI PMI 08 11. Renewal date is middle March. I think a lot of VHI policies are going up on March 1st.


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## snowyb (26 Feb 2013)

Hi PolkaDot,

Here are 2 alternatives with Laya, including full private cover (with hospital excess) without compromising on outpatient cover.

Simpy Health Starter          price    830pa
or
Total Health Choice           price     874pa
www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?245&278&323/

A few more options with other providers with no outpatient cover, as follows:

Aviva;
Family Value Plan             Price    834pa
or 
Health Value Plan             Price     771pa

Laya:      Essential Connect Saver    798pa

VHI Alternatives:
One Plan 250                Price   758pa
or 
PMI 17 11                     price    840pa

www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?245&289&270&327&253&259/


Regarding plans with 60% cover for private hospitals, I would totally avoid them. 
As previously stated here, the costs can run into thousands as the shortfalls are not specified clearly.  
The patient has to pay 40% of the total cost of surgery+ cost of bed - which could cost thousands.



However, what you may be missing is the good value on offer in the hi-tech hospitals, Blackrock Clinic and Mater Private.

Since 2008, these two hospitals are waiving shortfalls on a wide range of surgery and procedures - plans with a minimum of
45% to 65%  hi-tech cover qualify for these waivers.

If an operation is not on the waiver list, the shortfall per night is 260euro with VHI and Aviva.  The cost of surgery is fully covered, 
so this shortfall only relates to the cost of the bed.

Most operations involve a 5 to 10 night stay in hospital, so a 5 night stay would cost 1300.( plus hospital excess if applicable).

Laya Healthcare Plans show hi-tech shortfalls very clearly on the hia website.
For example, plan  'Total Health Choice'  has a hi-tech shortfall of 195 per night and a 200excess per claim.

So, an operation with a 5 night stay, in a hi-tech hospital, on this plan would cost (195 x 5) + 200 = 1175.
Again, these shortfall rates only relate to the cost of the bed, surgery costs are fully covered.

Plans at this level start at 875 upto 1000+.
They also include full cover for private hospitals, so an extra 100 hundred euro offers a lot more value for money and choice 
of hospital cover - some plans also include good outpatient cover (gp etc)  ie. Total Health Choice.

This level of cover may not be necessary at your age, but it may be useful information to have for the years ahead. 

Snowyb


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## PolkaDot (27 Feb 2013)

Snowyb, many thanks for the time you took to write that post. Very helpful


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