Doctor's visit on the clock!

HSA is available in Ireland. I had it through work but if you call the UK number they'll send out the Irish blurb.

The HSF and the HSA are completely different.

Here is a link to the HSF (Hospital Saturday Fund) Irish page.

[broken link removed]

When you click on a scheme you can see what the benefits are. For my family the HSF more than pays for itself every year.

Receipts from all the family can be added together. One visit to a dentist and an optician and you are into serious money. I'm in Scheme 750.This costs E32.50 per month. For this, in addition to the optical and dental benefit, you also get E19 towards the cost of a GP visit, up to a maximum of 10 visits per 12 months and up to E40 towards the cost of 4 prescriptions in a year..

Also should you be unlucky enough to have a couple of days in hospital they pay E84 per night.

If you or your family have to attend a consultant you can claim back up to half the cost, subject to a maximum pay out of E900 per year.

A grant E500 for having a baby - worth thinking about, if you are considering starting a family. Plus refund of 1/2 the cost of the consultant.


Murt

Heres what happened to me about 6 months ago.
Went into the doctor with severe stomach pains.
Asks me what did i eat last night - Curry.
Gives me a note with Mallox written on it to buy in the chemist.
HE asked me how my Asthma was - did i need a prescription for inhalers. I said its fine and i have a 6 month prescription i got from him 2 weeks ago.

So off i go 5 minutes total. The receptionist asked for €85.
For what.
A consultaion for my stomach pain and another for Atshma that HE HIMSELF brought up. I paid it like a fool.

But it gets worse.
All day and all night i'm in severe pain with the stomach after taking this rubbish he gave me for indigestion. At about 4 am i phoned the hospital and asked could they send out an ambulance. They asked me what the doctor said so i told them. Sorry, you'll have to make your own way to the hospital. I phoned the next door neighbour because i couldnt move. And got carried to his car and brought to hospital.

Appendix had burst and i nearly died. I had paid my doctor €85 for nearly killing me.

My brother has 5 kids aged 11 to 1. They all had a bad flu earlier in the year so they were brought to the local GP who usually charges €60 per visit. All the kids were in the room at the same time for a total visit time of 20mins and they were then asked to pay €300 for the visit!! My brother blew up at the doctor who eventually reduced it to €200. But still a rip-off in my mind! Surely this kind of practice will discourage parents to seek medical advice for children?

bb12-where was that GP(cowboy) based!

bb12 - thats outrageous!
If I was your brother, I'd have paid the 60E and walked out the door, and never back to that doctor.

How about playing him at his own game, you go in and your session lasts 8 mins, sit there for the other 7 saying i've paid for 15 mins and i'm getting it.

i'd love to see their reaction to that.

My Mum and Dad have the opposite problem with their doctor. He is really nice and listens to them rattling on for as long as it takes. He often deals with 3 or 4 complaints in the one visit. He will then sit back and chat to them for up to an HOUR !! Sometimes they have to make up excuses to get out of his surgery. Luckily all the other patients in the waiting room don't seem to mind, as they know they are going to get the same attention.