Private health insurance for children

[Blackrock1]

Hi,

My employer pays for a very good health policy for my family and me. i have both my daughters on it (ages 1 and 5). Net cost to me via BIK is circa 1k annually.

Is there any benefit to having the cover for small kids ? we have had some use out of it, it has covered an allergy consultant for my elder daughter and follow up tests and also the chicken pox vaccine which is pricey, i suppose i am answering my own question...

 

[Sunny]

Same situation and ask the same question every year because the BIK just seems to get bigger and bigger... Have not been brave enough yet to drop the cover that I am getting at less than half price....

I have approached my company about the cost of the cover as there are cheaper plans with the same cover out there but never get anywhere ...Don't know what sort of arrangement they have in place....

 

[Monbretia]

Benefit is if you need to jump the queue for something not considered serious, my own examples would be adenoids removed for a child and other allergy/breathing related stuff. Be ages waiting on a public list for those. I am sure there are many other things too that can arise, it's all a matter of your attitude to risk really.

 

[snowyb]

There's a few reasons to have health insurance for children, even though there are no private hospitals for children.

Firstly, if you don't have a medical card or health insurance for a child, if they are admitted to a public hospital for a stay or day case procedure
there is an 80 euro per night charge upto a max of 10 nights per year. 80 x 10 = 800. This nightly charge also applies to adults in public hospitals.

Secondly, as Monbretia mentioned, it gives the option to go the private route within the public childrens hospitals.

Lastly, for children aged 3 years +, the 3 hi-tech hospitals in Dublin, (Blackrock Clinic, Mater Private and Beacon) and some other private hospitals offer a range of paediatric surgery and procedures which is another alternative option if waiting lists are too long.

So its more valuable than you may realise and worth having, just in case.

Snowyb