# Downgrading Health Insurance



## Keano99 (17 Dec 2009)

Hi,

We currently have Quinn Essential Plus (Excess) for the two adults and Health Manager Starter for the two kids.
It costs about €145 per month in total. This of course will be increasing in the new year.

I want to downgrade this to save as much money as possible.

I'm willing to lose the benefits of claiming part of GP's visit costs etc. but i want to be sure that we can get to "skip the queue" as a private patient if the need arises.

Downgrading to Essential Starter would bring the monthly repayment down to €81 per month.
This scheme give semi-private cover in public hospitals.

What i wanted know is does "semi-private cover in public hospitals" give you cover for all procedures, or are there some procedures (like maybe heart operations) that are only done in private hospitals like blackrock clinic???

Thanks in advance.


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## Johnweber (17 Dec 2009)

The public hospitals should do most procedures. There is cover for Beacon & Mater for high tech. Blackrock is also a high tech hospital by the way not a private hospital. 

There are six bed generally in a ward in a public hospital and up to 5 in a semi private & a tv per bed !

There is a shortfall of €262 or €420 depending on private hospital for semi private room in a private hospital and the sam efor day case procedures in private hospital. There would be no cover for high tech hospitals.

One has to consider public v private but public v public  ?

There are other alternatives but not for that type of money.


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## Keano99 (18 Dec 2009)

thanks Johnweber.

I suppose what i am wondering is whether i am likely to need the "high tech" hospitals that you mention (or private hospitals) or will there always be a public hospital somewhere that can do whatever procedure is needed?


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## Johnweber (18 Dec 2009)

There are procedures that might be only performed by particular specialists in a field. e.g the da vinci robotic system for prostate treatment in Galway Clinic [broken link removed]

PS - I know Galway Clinic is not classified as a high tech hospital on the higher plans but serves as an example that springs to mind.


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## DirectDevil (22 Dec 2009)

The problem with downgrading is that you do not know what is going to happen in the future ! Do you want to leave yourself short of cover and regret it if something serious happens ?

Against this, if you retain the most important elements of cover and ditch the frills that might be alright as a lot of people are under real pressure to keep up their health insurance at all.

I am not sure about this next point but it could  be a future problem if you drop your level of cover and then reinstate it at a future date to it's previous levels ? I think that if you upgrade your cover in the future ( i.e. reinstate your present level of cover that you are going to drop at a future date) you might have a "waiting period". I am unsure about exactly how waiting periods work for new conditions after increasing cover but it might be something like 2 years. The Health Insurance Authority website might provide some useful information about this - http://www.hia.ie/


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## Johnweber (22 Dec 2009)

It is only 2 years if you have a pre-existing condition.


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## Boscod (31 Jan 2010)

In this downgrade situation, I believe the level of accommodation covered is a semi private bed in a public hospital. That being the case, how easily are such beds accessed, or would there be waiting lists as with normal public beds ?


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## G123 (1 Feb 2010)

In relation to Private Rooms etc., a friend of mine who has been a plan B VHI customer for over 20 years was recently admitted to a public hospital with breathing difficulties. She spent the night on a trolley as there was no beds available.


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## AlbacoreA (1 Feb 2010)

You'll get whats available. If thats a public bed, thats what you get. 

Sometimes it worth the extra sometimes it isn't. But you'll know that from experience, and you're experience might vary each time.


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## suzie (1 Feb 2010)

Trying to trim costs too.

I've 2 young kids who are covered via Plan B, but was wonder if to get them on a less extensive plan. Reason being at their age if something is seriously wrong wont they just end up in the likes of our ladys hospital for kids? so what does plan B offer in that likelihood? 

S.


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