# VHI: 2Adults + 1Child u18 + 1Apprentice u21 €3,380.00!



## Mizen (9 Nov 2011)

renewal for 2 adults + 1 under 18 + 1 turned 21 (not finished apprenticeship yet) comes in at 3,380 - family plan plus.  there does'nt seem to be much else out there according to the HIA website in the comparassion list.

Any advice would be much appreciated on what I should or should not be saying to VHI when I call them about the renewal as there has to be some discussion on whether this plan still suits us, for one thing Maternatity cover could be removed as it will not be needed and our 17 year old is a holder of a medical card owing to her I.D. - would rather try to build a spaceship than understand Health Insurance

regards


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## pj111 (9 Nov 2011)

What is your renewal date ? 

Is the renewal premium not €3,301 ?

If not, what is the breakdown of the premiums ?

_Patrick_


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## Mizen (10 Nov 2011)

Patrick, 

Renewal date is Dec 8th
renewal premium is actually 3364.34
Breakdown offered by VHI is 
3 x 1008.78 ( 3 adult price )
1 x 338       ( 1 child price )


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## Adam2011 (10 Nov 2011)

Try Quinn Healthcare and ask about Company Care, they have a plan with no excess starting at €920 and on with an excess starting at €850 per adult. Note VHI have cut benefit on some plans in recent months,


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## ClubMan (10 Nov 2011)

Shop around:

http://www.hia.ie/

And with all due respect if you are buying insurance then you really need to try to understand something about it otherwise you could be buying a pig in a poke and something that may not meet your needs (which could well be met by having *NO *health insurance in some cases).


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## onq (10 Nov 2011)

Totally agree with Clubman's points.

Health insurance seems to be offering poor value for money these days.


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## Slim (10 Nov 2011)

Adam2011 said:


> Try Quinn Healthcare and ask about Company Care, they have a plan with no excess starting at €920 and on with an excess starting at €850 per adult. Note VHI have cut benefit on some plans in recent months,


 
+ 1 on Quinn and do read the t&Cs so you know it suits. I moved to Quinn this year. Basic PHI with two teenagers on it. Got them for free on Credit Union Starter plan while we are on basic Quinn Essential. Would not have thought you can mix the plans. Got advice from a pro. Did not put 21 year old on it. Total under a €1,000 for 2 adults and two teens.

No connection with Quinn other than stated above. Slim


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## pj111 (10 Nov 2011)

onq said:


> Totally agree with Clubman's points.
> 
> Health insurance seems to be offering poor value for money these days.


 

All is relative. One claim and it is very good value.

_Patrick_


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## pj111 (10 Nov 2011)

Slim said:


> + 1 on Quinn and do read the t&Cs so you know it suits. I moved to Quinn this year. Basic PHI with two teenagers on it. Got them for free on Credit Union Starter plan while we are on basic Quinn Essential. Would not have thought you can mix the plans. Got advice from a pro. Did not put 21 year old on it. Total under a €1,000 for 2 adults and two teens.
> 
> No connection with Quinn other than stated above. Slim


 

As Clubman said, one needs to be careful what one buys. You have your foot on the rung of the ladder of the Irish health insurance market for the adults but if you get sick, there are significant shortfalls for anything but a day case procedure or semi private room in a PUBLIC hospital. It also appears you have no cover for the 21 year old ?

_Patrick_


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## bacchus (10 Nov 2011)

Slim said:


> ... basic Quinn Essential.



Quinn selling point for Quinn Essential as per their website is "Access to public hospitals ". Why would one pay private insurance to have access to public hospitals?

I agree 110% with Clubman. Paramount to understand cover and T&Cs.


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## pj111 (10 Nov 2011)

Mizen said:


> Patrick,
> 
> Renewal date is Dec 8th
> renewal premium is actually 3364.34
> ...


 
Hi Mizen, 

Ok you have a renewal with the first one of VHI's price increases that are coming.

Premiums will be: 
VHI - €3,364
Quinn - €3,162
Aviva - €2,792

If you are willing to have an excess on the plan or have no money back for day to day on some of the family.....€2,041 with Aviva.

_Patrick_


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## ClubMan (11 Nov 2011)

Mizen said:


> renewal for 2 adults + 1 under 18 + 1 turned 21 (not finished apprenticeship yet) comes in at 3,380


There may be a strong argument for having NO private health insurance here - especially if all individuals are in good health with no major health/lifestyle risks. I'm not recommending this necessarily as a course of action but just pointing out one of the possibilities here...


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## Complainer (12 Nov 2011)

Check out Quinn's Essential Starter scheme, which is a good bit cheaper than the prices you quote.


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## pj111 (15 Nov 2011)

Mizen said:


> Patrick,
> 
> Renewal date is Dec 8th
> renewal premium is actually 3364.34
> ...



Hi Mizen,

The same cover with an excess of €75 per episode of care in private and high tech hospitals and day case procedures in private and high tech hospitals with no shortfall in orthopaedic and ophthalmic procedures and better outpatient benefits for €2,626.70 per annum. €753.30 savings.

_Patrick_


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## pc7 (16 Nov 2011)

Check out the hospital saturday fund to top up health plans. www.hsf.ie  If you cut your main insurance down (and lose day to day claims), the hsf is great for day to day expenses I've found over the years. (not affiliated to hsf just think its a fantastic service and has paid for itself every year).


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## ClubMan (16 Nov 2011)

pc7 said:


> has paid for itself every year


How do they make money so? 
Surely they're not paying out more than your premiums on an ongoing basis?
If you mean that you got back as much as you paid in then why not just save the money and pay it directly for health services?


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## pc7 (17 Nov 2011)

As far as I know its not for profit organisation, but with my usage over the years it has paid for itself, I pay 32 a month. 
For example husband had day surgeries paid for by my VHI policy, but the HSF gave me 84 euro for each one (even though I had incurred no cost). That alone covered what I paid during the year for the policy. I'm looking at lowering my vhi cover to move to the HSF 100% cover plans, waiting on the paper work to work out the costs and see if its worth it. I was just spreading the word as I think its an underutilised company/product and one worth looking at.
eta [broken link removed] talks about it here.


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## Slim (17 Nov 2011)

ClubMan said:


> How do they make money so?
> Surely they're not paying out more than your premiums on an ongoing basis?
> If you mean that you got back as much as you paid in then why not just save the money and pay it directly for health services?


 
It can work that way if you join before a year of scheduled orthodontic work for example. There are no waiting times except 3 months for first claim.

Only caveat is that you usually cannot claim again in that category for a full 12 months after maxing out the cover.

I joined again this year in addition to downsizing my PHI to Quinn as in my earlier post as I am having planned dental work. Cynical I know!


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