Healthcare costs - not insurance GP fees comparison data

Revealed: The massive difference in GP visit prices depending on where you live

A new survey reveals how one in six are paying between €26 and €50 to see their GP, while over a third are paying between €51 and €75, with prices highest in Dublin. Some 2pc are charged over €75, and Dublin is more expensive when it comes to GP fees, with almost half (48pc) of private patients in the capital paying more than €50, compared to 33pc in the rest of the country. The huge variations emerged in an Ipsos B&A poll for the Department of Health. It was carried out before the latest extension of GP visit cards to more children and adults, which broadened free coverage from around 44pc to around half the population.

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66% of GPs outside Dublin charge less than €50 and 52% of Dublin GPs charge less than €50. Going by what people tell me they pay I always thought the typical fee was significantly higher.

50% of people covered by GP visit card or medical card is huge.

I heard this being discussed on the radio, it was Pat Kenny and a Dublin based GP, from memory.

While I acknowledge that there are some additional costs relating to running a practice in Dublin, and probably also for other cities, I was far from convinced that the price differences being cited, were justified. That's before we consider the fact that cities would have bigger populations, so GPS may average more patients/customers.

Seperately, I've also had reason to see financial information for quite a few Dublin based GPs, over the years, and they were all making pretty good money!

GPs in France charge 26.50.

Does anybody know how they manage that?

Protocol said:

GPs in France charge 26.50.

Does anybody know how they manage that?

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Probably many factors, not least a very different healthcare funding system, probably different standards of care, different cost of living, and Ireland has very high medicolegal fees relative to most EU countries.

GPs in France, Ireland, and UK all supposedly make around 3 times the average wage.

My GP in Monkstown now charges €70, in '22 it was €65, in '21 €63 and in 2020 €60
Always thought that I was paying the average maybe I am for the area but am surprised to see fees as low as €26
Wonder on the lower fees charged are the GP's very strict about one issue per visit
My GP tried this a couple of years ago but after a little schooling lesson from me ends every visit with "Now anything else Mr Cervelo"

Although I pay for it in my health insurance I think it's important to remember that I get €30 back every time I visit my GP

€60 per visit for me, and €30 for nurses services, like blood work. The GP has a new premises, 2 receptionists, 2 nurses, they have a text service, email, scanning, computer equipment. Fancy stuff like a small tablet that rests on your leg to get a heart scan (no 20 minutes being hooked up with all the leads to do an ekg) so I would say the overheads are massive. It seems good value for money to me.

Protocol said:

GPs in France charge 26.50.

Does anybody know how they manage that?

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And that amount has remained relatively stable over the past 20 years. At the time it was 22 euros ( from memory). I always wondered... However in general, France doesn't have the same wage structure.
From my experience, standard of care is pretty good in France even if some people would consider it's more difficult to access services than before.

My gp has changed to remote consultation only except one day a week. I don't believe prices have changed.

I pay €65. Is the €26 verified? Not to be a Doubting Thomas, but it sounds implausible.

Gordon Gekko said:

I pay €65. Is the €26 verified? Not to be a Doubting Thomas, but it sounds implausible.

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To be exact, it increased from 25 to 26.50 in November 2023. The rate is fixed by the State. It's slightly higher for children under 6.
For consultant like dermatologists, it can vary from about 50 to 80 depending on the area and the conditions.

Just to add, most of these costs are actually refunded by the state to the patient or directly to the gp (no condition of income for patients).

Local GP (midlands) charges €60 for visits and €40 for repeat prescriptions

There are 2 types of GP in France, Category 1 - charge a fixed fee set by the state (€26.50) and are not allowed to charge anymore. Category 2 are not regulated by the state and can charge more, but usually under €50, some of this would be reimbursed by State Health Insurance
GPs generally provide a more basic service in France and French people avail of specialists much more freely; French people can self refer to a specialist whenever and not see a GP first. E.g if my teenager has acne I would bring them straight to a dermatologist.
-Different setup to here

My GP charges €65 for what is supposed to be a 10 minute consultation. I normally have a few issues on my list and in fairness to him he always enquires at the end of the consultation 'Is there anything else..'. We are South Dublin very closet to the City. Cost has increased from €60 in 2022 and €55 in 2021.
The other big practice close to us is run by that chain that now runs many GP practices and has seem to become something of a cartel. While their basic GP visit price is set at €70 the other services are more expensive, they are alot more rootless about charging for follow-up, phone calls and other services. E.g. a 24-hour BP monitor from my practice including follow-up correspondence is €70 and they charge €115.
My Parents local doctors (South county Dublin) has now been taken over by that same crowd and there is a big sign up in the waiting room stating that patients can only have one medical complaint per visit.
While it has to be cheaper to run GP services outside the urban cities, was surprised that many are less than €50

My GP practice (Co Louth) charges 60e for a consultation, 40e for a review (2nd visit for same complaint), 45e for a phone consult, 15e for a repeat prescription (done via email), and 30e for bloods.

A few people have told me that they are finding it hard to get a GP.

From memory, when I needed to change GPs a few years ago, a few in the area (Dublin 4) told me that they were full and were not taking on new patients.

Brendan

Our GP Practice (Dublin 6) is not taking on any new patients and that has been the case for a few years. They are out the door.
I rang last Tuesday at lunchtime looking for an appointment for myself; was happy to see any of the GP's any day and any time - they had nothing left for the rest of the week

Co. Wicklow - €70 for a consultation; €20 for a repeat prescription (via online) form. Repeat was free until recently, then €10 now €20. €10 would be fair for any medication that doesn't require a review IMO - the GP above charging 40 for a repeat is taking the piss.

Friends GP in Stillorgan charges €80 for standard consultation - that is nuts. Highest I have heard of. Big place with multiple doctors

Last night I bought a bottle of Coke Zero in Dublin for €2.25; last week the identical bottle cost me €1.27 in Spain.

Last week I got my health insurance renewal quote from Laya — 18% higher than last year.

2 weeks ago we increased our private fee structure — first increase we have introduced since Spring 2016 i.e. > 7 years.

Earlier this week I did a comprehensive review on a private diabetic patient. He was charged €80 & it involved an initial nurse consultation incl bloods for which he was not charged. The same service for a medical card patient attracts a fee of €105 alongside a contribution to my pension as well as funding to help run the practice.

The obsession of the chattering classes & media with private GP fees in Ireland has been around forever & never takes into account let alone discusses the realities of the service provided ; the costs involved or the quality of such a service. What I took from that ‘report’ was just how much of functioning market there is for private GP fees with its wide variety of charges. Would people have been happier if fees everywhere were identical — the CCPC would surely have had something to say about that as it had in the past when a previous minister & her department involved itself in the issue of GP fees ?.

For anyone truly interested let me assure as far as I am concerned that private GP fees, in the main, do not cover the economic costs of providing a quality GP service & that they are subsidised by public fees so as to ensure the overall smooth running of practices. Now, of course, most of the people reading/commenting on this thread & our media generally who love to bash GPs & their private fee structure will have little interest in the economic realities of our businesses. C’est La vie.

Steve00 said:

What I took from that ‘report’ was just how much of functioning market there is for private GP fees with its wide variety of charges. Would people have been happier if fees everywhere were identical — the CCPC would surely have had something to say about that as it had in the past when a previous minister & her department involved itself in the issue of GP fees ?.

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That's what I took from it too. If the price was the same everywhere there would be accusations of price fixing, etc.

@arbitron

Just wondering if you would be prepared to discuss consultant's fees also on this thread, or, if not, would you be interested in setting up a separate one as I would like to discuss some of those? I don't want to take your thread off topic.

Thanks,

Up Rovers.