Health Insurance Changing Medical Insurance company

Markjbloggs

Registered User
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Hi,

recently diagnosed with cancer, aged 58. Nothing that isn't manageable for now - my biggest concern is that my medical insurance is not covering most of the costs. Submitted receipts totalling €1,800 for consultants, MRI and various blood tests, resulting in a reimbursement of €30 !!! The insurance company is Irish - they took over my previous insurer a few years back but did not match the original insurers' coverage levels. My wife has the same coverage plan, but we have not had to test her exposure to it so far, thankfully.

What are my options re joining VHI , with a pre-existing condition? (I am self-employed) Are there other options that I should consider?

thanks in advance,
M
 
 
Thanks Odyssey06,

my reading of that is that my cancer would not be covered for 2 years, but as my current insurance provider is not covering very much then this is not a major issue. My wife, without pre-existing conditions, is covered with VHI from Day 1.

would you know if the above statement is correct?

M
 
Yes for in-patient expenses, and no, depending on what benefits you are interested in and who your current provider is.
You mention consultant visits, this comes under "everyday medical expenses" and has different limits.
 
Thanks again.

I had a look at some of the sites that purport to help navigate the insurance system, and they are very poor. Links not working, jargon, badly-designed sites.

Can you recommend how I might get impartial advice on how to proceed here?

M
 
The HIA site is the most reliable. Otherwise probably an independent broker... think there were some earlier threads with some recommemdations.
 
Maybe you have already done this, but I would recommend that you analyse why your expenses were not covered before deciding on moving.

Its really difficult when you are sick, but with most health insurance plans, in all companies, you have to put in some work to ensure your treatment is covered.

Consultant fees are not covered by many policies in the VHI, and only partially covered by some plans so there is no guarantee that moving company will mean that you will get coverage without a huge increase in premium.

Blood tests are out patients expenses, again not always covered.

Does your policy nor cover MRIs or only under circumstances,
Many policies only cover MRIs in certain centres or for particular reasons.

I know its too late now, but if a consultant asks for an MRI, its important to find out what and where is covered before booking the appointment.

More importantly, I hope your treatment is successful .
 
Hi there - sorry to hear about your illness. I have heard Dermot Goode on the radio many many times and he seems to really know his stuff. He offers a fee based advice service - here is the link. You may not need to avail of his services but no harm to be aware that it exists just in case. All the very best.

 
Thanks Dave - will do that, though it is a shame that this is what health coverage in Ireland has sunk to.
 
Markjbloggs, sorry to hear of your illness & hope you are doimg well. I have a fair bit of knowledge in the health insurance area & appreciate it is difficult to get your head around it all. It kills me, though, to see people paying for the advice!

If you would like to say the name of the plan you are on it might help clarify why your reimbursement was so low. I would also need to know where you incurred the charges for bloods & scans to make sure those centres are approved centres on your plan.

You can switch providers and would have to wait 2 years for any higher benefits for a condition thats already present. You would maintain the same level of hospital cover your current policy has for those two years and you would have to wait 26 week's for any higher outpatient benefits.
 
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