Re: Got medical card - do I need phi?
Seni - you got the medical card after means assessment - this card is yours in your own right and if the CWO thought for one minute you werent entitled to it ... given this current environment in relation to our exchequer you wouldnt have got it if you werent entitled to it!
My recommendation is if you can afford the basic minimum plan for you and your family try and keep up your PHI.... especially if anybody has an existing condition.... but remember as previous poster said once you develop a condition when you are not covered by PHI - it will then become pre-existing condition will be subject to a waiting-time before coming into cover.
I know VHI allows you to rejoin after one year without any waiting periods.... but check the terms and conditions on what exactly it covers.
Donee many people who hold the GP or full GMS card also have purchased PHI purely out of necessity and security of having private health insurance should they need it. It's not a case that these people can afford it... its that keeping up with PHI is often a necessity, especially when people have ongoing chronic conditions requiring treatment and if they had to forego their PHI they'd then become totally reliant on the public health system with the associated probs of long delays in getting treatment, getting access, consultant appointments, diagnostics and investigations - you know the usual things that public patients face when trying to gain access. I would say that for many people, PHI is a peace of mind - and if people on low income feel they also need to cover that expense - its a clear but gloomy message about what people's perceptions are about the public health system, how it would cope or respond to their health needs when they need it!