# VHI or Quinn??



## tweety07 (30 Mar 2009)

I've been with VHI for the last 10 years but I'm seriously considering changing after their significant price hike! Do you think I'd be wise or not? I'm on First Plan - Level 1 with them and have enquired about Health Starter with Quinn.  I have had no trouble in the past with VHI covering me for various different things I wonder are Quinn as good?


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## Spoofer (30 Mar 2009)

VHI First Plan Level 1 - €640
Quinn Health Manager Starter - €575

Saving on Quinn - €65

Both plans entitle you to a private room in a public hospital. Regarding private hospital cover your current VHI plan covers you for 50% of the costs for a semi-private room in a private hospital while Quinn's plan will provide full cover for a private room in a selected range of private hospitals. Your current VHI plan gives you no access for cardiac procedures in high tech hospitals while the Quinn plan will give cover for these procedures in two high tech hospitals, Mater Private and Beacon.

As both plans are targeted towards individuals who have substantial outpatient costs, your VHI plan will give you a certain amount back on your outpatient visits like GPs and physios, €30 in each case. Quinn will give you back 50% of all your outpatient costs up to €7650. It's hard to compare like for like for these outpatient benefits on both plans but i'd say they work out equally as beneficial here.

Maternity cover is stronger on Quinn. Both VHI and Quinn provide 3 days full cover in public hospitals but Quinn provide better costs for private maternity, VHI €2275 vs Quinn €2850.

For worldwide cover abroad, your VHI plan covers you for costs up to €100,000 but Quinn don't provide worldwide cover, only for selected hospitals in the EU.

VHI do cover a few more scan centres than Quinn but Quinn still do cover nearly all regions, if you do need a MRI or PET scan do check beforehand where you are covered.


Benefits, i think the Quinn plan offers that bit more than VHI have with the exception of worldwide overseas cover. Price, it's no contest really, €65 is a good saving in this economic climate.. Overall, i think you would be making a good move switching to the Quinn Health Manager Starter plan.


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## tweety07 (31 Mar 2009)

Spoofer, that's very beneficial, thank u


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## Eamonn Irl (10 Apr 2009)

tweety07 - I dont think the two plans are very good cos they have poor private hospital cover... 

-Quinn Health Manager Starter - Very limited private hospitals
-VHI First Plan Level 1 - Only 50% cover in private hospitals

I'd ask the question, what is it you want in health insurance ? I went for Quinn Company care for €615 per year. It gives full public & private hospital cover and gives good outpatient allowances without having to hit a target/excess. Quinn didn't want to give me the plan when i called, but when i insisted and they didn't mind.  I though every one could have any plan they want???  

Another plan I was looking at was Hibernian Business Plan Plus Extra at €660, It was similar to the company cares but the Quinn plan was less cost and it was quite similar. Hibernian wouldn't achknowlege it when i called them but i know it was offered to my company recently and i had a document in front of me when i called them! Why would they not let me buy it? They said it was a deal for business only? 

What is it with insures not wanting to sell plans???


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## NovaFlare77 (10 Apr 2009)

Under Open enrolment, health insurers can't refuse you cover, so someone telling you a plan is for business only is completely inaccurate. Certainly allowances have to be made to make sure that the plan covers what you want (e.g. saying you want maternity cover and then insisting on a plan that has none), but health insurers can't say that one plan is unavailable to you.

I can understand health insurers thinking though, not that it makes it right. Company paid group schemes are more profitable than the average health insurance member so insurers want to offer them as weet a deal as possible (great benefits, low costs). Having "regular" members join means that the profitability is reduced, because they probably have a higher risk.

Like I say though Open Enrolment trumps all this, and I'm glad the HIA have updated their comparisons to include references to company schemes as well.


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