2A+3C (u15) VHI Company Plan Plus Select March Renewal €3k: Best Deal?

M

music

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Hi there.

I would appreciate any advice you could give me. I was employed up to recently and had a private health cover. VHI Company Plan Plus Select. This covered myself, my spouse and our 3 children who are all under 15. now I have to pay for this myself. VHI has offered me the same plan at Euro 3000 per year. Heavy duty.

I am wondering if there are any better options on the market, and if I choose to change, are there any snags or pitfalls in changing? Like waiting times, length of contract, exclusions, etc.

Fortunately We are all healthy and have no health issues, but I am conscious of providing for any accidents the kids may have along the way, and medical care for myself and spouse in the line of cardiac and cancer care - hopefully we will never need to avail of it. We are both in our late 40s and we live in Dublin.

Also do I get tex credit or something if I pay for a health plan myself in future, ie should I notify the Revenue that I am paying it. Previously I had to pay a fair bit of BIK for the health plan when I was with the company

Any information would be really appreciated because with number of health plans out there it is hard to compare. Thanks again.
Music
 
Hi Music,

As your renewal is immediate you will avoid the next round of price increases with all 4 providers from 28 March to 1 April 2013.

Here are a few suggestions with all 4 companies:

VHI Healthcare

ADULT OPTIONS;
1. Plan PMI 10 11; Price per adult; 945pa - this plan is identical to your previous plan Company Plan Plus Select, with some outpatients.
2. Plan PMI 12 11; price per adult; 865pa - good hospital cover, outpatient cover with 150 excess.

www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?104&252&256/

KIDS OPTIONS;
1. One Plan Choice; Price per child; 244pa - public,private + hi-tech hospital cover,no outpatient.
2. One Plan Starter; Price per child; 200pa - public cover only, no outpatient.

www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?104&103&290/


LAYA HEALTHCARE

ADULT OPTIONS;
1. Total Health Choice; Price per adult; 874(900) - public,private + hi-tech hospital cover, good outpatient cover 50% refund.

www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?104&323/

KIDS OPTIONS;
1. Essential First; Price for child 1+2 195(200) child 3=185(190) - public hospital cover, No private,cardiac hi-tech hospital, limited outpatients.
2. Essential Connect; Price for child 1+2 219(225) child 3=196(200) - public,private and full hi-tech hospital cover, limited outpatients.
3. Simply Health Starter; Price per child 1+2 253(260) child 3=229(235) - public hospital cover and good outpatient cover 50% refund.

www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?104&285&282&278/

Note; prices in brackets include a 3% charge if paying by instalments.


AVIVA HEALTH

ADULT OPTIONS;
1. Level 2 Health Excess; Price per adult; 899 - public,private + full hi-tech hospital cover,limited outpatients;
2. Health Plan 05; Price per adult; 950 - public,private + full hi-tech hospital cover, good outpatients;

www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?104&249&307/

KIDS OPTIONS
1. Level 2 Family Health; Price per child; 214 - public,private + full hi-tech hospital cover,limited outpatients;

www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?104&248/


GLOHEALTH - new company in the market, ex staff from Aviva.

ADULT OPTIONS;
1. Better Plan; Price per adult; 842 - public,private + full hi-tech hospital cover,limited outpatients.

www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?104&298/

KIDS OPTIONS;
1. Good Plan; Price; 160(1st child) 169.50(2nd + 3rd child) -public hospital cover only,limited outpatients.
2. Better Plan; Price per child; 206.50each - public,private+full hi-tech hospital cover,limited outpatients.

www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?104&297&298/


NOTE; There are no childrens private hospitals in Ireland so public hospital cover is sufficient. However if the kids have hi-tech cover
included, both Mater Private and Blackrock Clinic offer all typical children's surgery fully covered.

As you are all under 50, there are no waiting times for outpatient cover.
A waiting time for hospital cover only applies for any extra cover, not on your previous plan, in relation to any pre-existing condition.
If you have no pre-existing condition - then no waiting applies.

Also, regarding Revenue, the tax credit is already included in the prices quoted on the hia website. You may need to have your BIK figure adjusted
to reflect your current position.

Plenty of options to choose from.

Snowyb
 
Last edited:
Hi Snowyb,
I posted a reply in the wrong area.

Many thanks. Loads of information there to digest. I Would never have managed to figure out all those plans by myself.

A complication has arisen. . My spouse is at the end of a small surgical procedure, she had an accident with her foot and needs to go back to have some 'pins 'removed. Up to now the VHI covered it subject to their excess on the plan. The procedure is not scheduled to happen till the the third week of April, by which time we should have maybe moved health provider. Will the VHI still cover the cost as it was started on their "watch". Or will the new health provider cover it? Or neither?
Worried.
 
Regarding your wife's impending procedure, if you change provider, the new provider will take over everything.
Once your health insurance is not lapsed for more than 13 weeks, there would be no waiting periods applied.
The plans suggested would have identical hospital cover as before. It would be switching to a new plan - like for like hospital cover.

To have reassurance on this, I would be inclined to discuss this with the new company, just to clarify the situation before switching.
I don't see any cause for concern, but IF an obstacle arises you could always pick a VHI alternative plan for your wife for this year.
The children and yourself could still change provider anyway. Many people with all types of conditions change providers
and continue treatment without any problems.

The following faq is on the HIA website which explains a similar situation. Your
new customer waiting times would have been served when you both took out
health insurance years ago. Your new plan would not be classed as an upgrade, so, it should be straight forward.

Q. I have an existing condition; may I switch health insurers?
Will I be covered for my condition straight away?

A: You may switch health insurers regardless of your existing conditions. If you have completed your new customer waiting periods, you will be covered immediately for any existing condition. However if you wish to use a benefit on the new plan which is higher than the benefit provided on the old plan, you may have to serve an upgrade waiting period before full cover for this benefit is available. Please see our section on upgrade waiting periods for more details.

Snowyb
 
Snowyb, do you mind me asking but are you affiliated in any way to Laya or get any special commission from them. I don't mind if you are it just seems in the majority of cases where you discuss plans you come out most in favour of Laya.
 
OMD said:
Snowyb, do you mind me asking but are you affiliated in any way to Laya or get any special commission from them. I don't mind if you are it just seems in the majority of cases where you discuss plans you come out most in favour of Laya.
Click to expand...

Hi OMD,

Just to clarify, I am not affiliated to Laya whatsoever or any other health insurance provider for that matter.
I have never even worked in health insurance or any kind of brokers either.

I'm just an ordinary person who has a keen interest in health insurance and the way it works.
I was as ignorant and clueless as the next person upto a couple of years ago, when VHI first started the big price hikes.

It triggered a curiosity in me and I started questioning everything. I was so determined to get to the bottom of it
and try to understand it. I have learned so much through the help of the HIA website and this forum(aam)
and keeping upto date on the constant changes on an ongoing basis.

I don't mind sharing the knowledge I have built up, to help people who are as bewildered as I was starting off.
I always try to quote plans with all 4 providers, to show the full picture. The facts speak for themselves.
People can make up their own minds for their own personal reasons.

I think there is a lot of 'pulling the wool over peoples eyes' going on regarding health insurance.
I don't like seeing people being treated like that, especially when your spending upto 1000+ per person.
Another eye-opener that really bugged me was the special corporate plans and all the skullduggery that goes on with them.

I am really grateful for the facility of this website, which has taught me so much in the past few years and
provides the platform to share the info with others for free. I certainly don't get any commission from any company.
It gives me great pleasure to see people and families saving maybe 500 or 1000+ and its not always with Laya.
Sometimes, its just knowing how to choose a different plan with VHI or Aviva or getting to know what the new company Glohealth has to offer.

I'm an independent person with no connections to any company who has the
ordinary customer's interest at heart.

Regards, Snowyb
 
Thank you for your very detailed analysis of my query Snoby. You have helped me considerably and saved me days of bewilderment and hopefully 000s in cash. I for one am very grateful and appreciative of your insight. I think you should write for a newspaper in the money section. Thousands of people would be thrilled to receive your level of analysis int the whole murky business. Thanks again
Music
 
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