# Cheapest plan??



## zippidydo (16 Jun 2010)

Hi, looking at going for Quinn Essential Starter health insurance. 2 adults and one child (3 year old) and don't have insurance at minute. Can't afford anything too high.  Would this cover for example - general hospital stay in public hospitals and general operations that may crop up like tonsils in children, heart bypass in adults etc? Hav'nt a clue, just getting confused reading all the different plans with the 3 companies. Could I go for the cheapest plan to include inpatient stays and be covered for all general procedures in public hospitals? Thanks.


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## NovaFlare77 (16 Jun 2010)

(Very) Broadly speaking, health insurance plans all cover the same medically necessary procedures, be they major or minor. The difference is WHERE you are covered.

The basic plans will cover you for a semi private room (i.e. shared with up to five other people) in public hospitals and some also offer full cover for major heart surgeries in the large hi tech hospitals like the Blackrock Clinic and the Mater Private. So if you go to a public hospital, and use the kind of accommodation your plan covers, then you should be covered subject to the other rules (e.g. waiting periods being served, etc).

There was an article in the Sunday Business Post some years back that claimed that the waiting times for being treated privately in some public hospitals were nearly as long as the waiting times for those being treated on the public system. I can't find a link to the article, but I recollect that this was primarily in Dublin hospitals.

However, most basic plans will allow partial cover in private hospitals as well. This means that should you have a delay in getting treated in a public hospital, it may be an option to ask to be treated in a private hospital and pay some of the costs yourself. Depending on the treatment and hospital though, this payment could be hundreds or thousands of euro. But it may be an option nonetheless.


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## MrEBear (16 Jun 2010)

Hi Zippidydo, essential starter isn't abad plan to have if you want to keep it cheap. It will cover for any medically nessisary procedures, but only in a public hospital. There is very little in the way of private cover on the plan so be sure it's not a deciding factor before you take it.

If you have any questions or anything you're not sure of the staff are always willing to help so just give them a call. I had the same problem you're having when o took mine out and the staff were really helpful.

Hope this helps

MrEBear


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## Cooloco (17 Jun 2010)

Hi Zippydydo,Not sure! you can compare the different plans and see what they cover at freetocompare.ie


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## calvin&hobbs (17 Jun 2010)

*Food for thought*

from yesterdays Independent

*Corporate health plan can save €400 a year*


By Charlie Weston 

Wednesday June 16 2010

THE average family can save up to €400 on their private healthcare by making one phone call, the irish independent can reveal. 
Families can cut the cost of their health cover and increase the level of benefits by opting for a "corporate plan". 
These plans are available to everyone but healthcare providers do not advertise the fact that they are better value for individuals.
These plans are only marketed to companies when health insurers are trying to sign up all the firm's staff, but by law they must be available to everyone.
Head of the State's regulatory body for health insurance, Liam Sloyan of the Health Insurance Authorty (HIA), said everyone was entitled to switch to a corporate plan.
"These plans tend to have similar benefits to individual plans but at a significantly lower cost," he said.
Health insurance experts explained yesterday that many people mistakenly believed they had a corporate plan as they paid for their insurance through their job, but in fact all they were getting was a 10pc "group discount".
This discount tends to be offered to most people, Dermot Goode of HealthInsuranceSavings.ie said.
"Each of the three insurers also have a range of corporate plans which tend to offer better overall benefits at a lower price. While these plans are not widely advertised, they can be accessed by anyone either joining health insurance or wishing to transfer from their existing plan," Mr Goode said. 
These plans can save consumers from 10pc to 30pc and even higher. and could work out at up to €400 for a typical family. A family with two adults on VHI's Plan B Parents & Kids will be paying €907 per adult for this cover, but the VHI's Company Level 1.1 offers roughly the same benefits at a cost of €665 per adult at the moment.
*Children*
Aviva's company plans are called BizPlan, while Quinn has Company Care.
Mr Goode pointed out that corporate plans could be more expensive for children, but most insurers would allow a family to leave the children on the existing plan while moving the adults to the corporate plan.
There is also usually an excess with corporate plans. Typically, the first €75 of a claim will have to be borne by the consumer.
References to corporate plans are not easy to find on the websites of health insurers, Mr Sloyan of the HIA said. 
Consumers have been advised to be clear as to what corporate plan they want to join, or transfer to, and its name before approaching their insurer to switch to that plan.
There are more than 200 different health policies in the market.
- Charlie Weston 
_Irish Independent_


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## Jimbobp (18 Jun 2010)

The Quinn company health plan would be a better option compared to the essential starter for not a lot extra IMO. Better access to hi tech hospitals for example. Do a comparison on the hia website.


www.powerinsurances.ie


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## PyritePete (28 Jul 2010)

calvin&hobbs said:


> from yesterdays Independent
> 
> *Corporate health plan can save €400 a year*
> 
> ...


 

this is for NovaFlare or other posters - I have essential plus with Excess. By looking at www.hia.ie I could switch to Company HealthPlus No excess for 68EUR less per year. Not only saving on the price of the policy but also not having to fork out for excess'. Seems a no-brainer.

PS - I would like to acknowledge NovaFlare for his contributions...


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