2A+3C Huge cost of health insurance. Better options?

B

babydays

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New years resolution to better examine monthly debits. Have already saved E280 by changing car insurer (maintaining same benefits!) - absolutely delighted about this.

We're a family of 2 adults and three kids (aged 5, 7 and 9). All healthy enough. Don't appear to have any hereditary illnesses. Finished having kids, no maternity cover needed, no interest in private rooms. Rarely need to go to GP. Our annual membership is a staggering E5,787!!!! We're on health manager at Laya.

The only 'health' issue we do fear is dental - husband needing root canals and children all seem like they will have spacing issues/teeth coming down at bad angles - long term needing braces possibly or other work.

Have always lived in fear of not having health insurance - 'what if we suddendly discover cancer or heart disease etc'. Have heard frightening stories on the radio of people not being able to get treatment in time and dying as a result - particularly with regard to cancer.

Considering dropping insurance altogether - but continuing to pay the monthly amount (over E450) into an account for a rainy day.

I understand that if I don't have insurance but want to see a consultant quickly privately I can pay the consultation fee - but what then? Can I then go back to public to get treatment or do I go back to a two year waiting list? What happens once I get a diagnosis from a private consultant?

Quite confused about this. Fearful, but wanting to be pragmatic and finding it exceedingly difficult to cover all the costs these days.
 
Hi babydays,

You are most definitely paying way too much for health insurance!!!

There are several options open to you to substantially reduce the cost, which I will go into in more detail shortly.

What is your renewal date with Laya?

Snowyb
 
Health insurance is bad value for young healthy people and is really only of use to you for elective procedures which you can pay for privately anyway. If you are brought to hospital in an ambulance having suffered a heart attack you will get the same treatment whether you are a public or private patient. The likes of MRIs, CT scan, X rays etc can now be undertaken fairly cheaply with the likes of [broken link removed]. Saving €450 per month for one year will cover lots of scans ! Orthodontic treatment can generally be paid for in stages nowadays over the duration of the treatment plan. If you still feel you need private insurance check out hia for comparative plans and hsf as an alternative cash back plan.
 
There are many many policies available which would cost approx 2.5K to 3K per annum for your family of 5 which would cover you for procedures as a private patient in the public hospitals, or in some of the private hospitals. This would save you a lot of money ever year and still give you piece of mind in case of illness.

As was said above, once you enter the hospital system as a public patient you will be treated , but if you are told that you need surgery and is is potential life saving, but not urgent, you could end up on a waiting list.

You mention root canal treatment and braces. These types of dental treatments are not covered by most PHI. ( I am not aware of any plans apart from specific dental plans that cover this sort of work). I hope you realise that They are not covered by your current plan.

It is confusing to work out which is best. Start with www.hia.ie and see what plans are available.
 
Hi babydays,

Regardless of when your renewal date is, the good news is, because you are already with Laya Healthcare, you can
change to a different plan straight away, no problem. You can phone and switch plans as soon as you make up your
mind which new plan to choose.

Here are a few suggestions to consider, for the adults, as follows:


Option 1: Total Health Choice Price per adult; 874pa (this plan has identical hospital and outpatient cover as Health Manager,
if you want a private room in a private hospital, shortfall of 175 per night applies)
www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?52&323/


Option 2: Company Care Plus Price per adult; 1059pa (this plan also has similar hospital, but higher outpatient cover as Health Manager,
if you want a private room in a private hospital, shortfall of 50 per night applies)
www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?52&198/


Option 3: Total Health Select Price per adult 1204pa ( this plan is the same as Health Manager - re hospital cover - it fully covers a
private room in a private hospital, at half the price. It also includes higher level
outpatient cover).
www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?52&322/

Note option 1 is more than adequate, both for hospital and outpatient cover.
I included options 2 + 3, just to show the full range available, with the extras included, and the difference in price to your current plan.



Here are a few suggestions to consider, for the children as follows, starting with the cheapest:

Option 1: Health Smart Plan Price per child 130pa ( good hospital cover, limited outpatients) NOTE: THIS PRICE PROMOTION ENDED 28 FEB 2013
www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?52&294/

Option 2: Health Smart Family Price per child 200pa ( good hospital and good outpatient cover) NOTE: THIS PRICE PROMOTION ENDED 28 FEB 2013
www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?52&295/

Option 3: Total Health Choice Price per child 273pa ( good hospital and good outpatient cover,
lower shortfall amount in Mater Private and Blackrock Clinic for kids surgery)
www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?52&323/


As the above suggestions show, there are huge savings to be made.

Some of these savings could be kept for orthodontal treatment(kids) and root canal( husband) when it arises in the future.
These dental expenses are not covered under health insurance, but can be claimed on a Med 2 form for a tax refund with Revenue.
All other routine dental expenses, ie fillings, extractions,cleaning etc are covered on your health insurance, with your outpatient claim.

As I mentioned already, you can change plans straightaway, phone Laya 1890 700 890 as soon as possible.
If you need anymore advice, or further explanations regarding the options listed above, you can pm me anytime.

Snowyb
 
Last edited:
a very quick reply - thank you soooo much for those comprehensive replies!
Snowyb - you are so good to take the time so present alternatives to me.

Our renewal date is in August but as you point out I can switch within the same provider - I'll check that there are no penalities.

Will examine the options and might come back with some questions.

At least, there will be a huge saving adn we can continue with coverage!!! Thanks so much again.
 
For dental needs, you could consider dental insurance - dentalcover.ie. My dd needs two dental check ups each year and the cost alone of these cover the outlay for the dental insurance.
 
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