polish_bloke
Registered User
- Messages
- 37
Alcohol is the primary cause of 25% of all road collisions and 33% of collisions resulting in fatalities in Ireland.It's obvious to me that 75% of all collisions and 67% of collisions resulting in fatalities in IRL are caused by SOBER drivers. I insist on prohibiting sober-driving.
But seriously, my opinions are my opinions not an enlighted truth, and all I want to achieve here is to combine a bullet-list with cons for private health insurance. What I have now is:
Why I should have a private health insurance:
No thanks:
- It can secure you a better room in a hospital
- You might get a part of your fees reimbursed (excess)
- You might see the consultant skipping the public queue
- You are very likely to get a better service from the hospital staff
Please add as much as possible, feel free to edit my list - could we compose an exhaustive one together? Thanks.
- GPs are paid either way
- Even if you buy a "no-excess" policy you still have excess - the policy wording should be rather: "no in-patient excess"
- Once referred by your GP the out-patient treatment is free
- In-patient treatment on short stays is E66/day, not more than E660 per year
- In-patient costs on long stays is E120E max per week
- With a full hospital a chance to get a private room when insured is more or less the same as getting it when public ward is full and you are not insured. If the hospital is not full I believe that even the public ward is comfortable.
- Some fees are not covered by the policy - you may have to pay a heavy fees just because you are a private patient.
- You can still claim for reimbursement from the revenue 20 or 41%
The difference between fully private maternity and public maternity is as follows:
Public Maternity:
Usually only 2 scans - done by mid-wife.
Have to queue for aforementioned scans.
Essentially there is no monitoring of the pregnancy unless an obvious problem arises.
If problem, referred to whatever doctor is available rather than specific consultant.
Baby delivered by midwife.
Private Maternity:
Approx. 15 scans
Scans done by consultant, not midwife.
Patient picks their own appointment times/dates.
No queues.
Same high ranking consultant present at all visits.
Regular monitoring (c.15 visits).
Consultant is present for birth.
Proactive monitoring of pregnancy - regular blood tests etc., problems dealt with immediately.
VHI type semi-private is somewhere in between the above (depending on plan etc.).
Experience of my wife is that she would never go public with pregnancy. On last one, a minor problem was discovered on a visit and nipped in the bud very quickly. If she had been a public patient, this problem would not have been spotted and very likely would have been a big problem around the time of the birth.
The difference between fully private maternity and public maternity is as follows:
Public Maternity:
Usually only 2 scans - done by mid-wife.
Have to queue for aforementioned scans.
Essentially there is no monitoring of the pregnancy unless an obvious problem arises.
If problem, referred to whatever doctor is available rather than specific consultant.
Baby delivered by midwife.
Private Maternity:
Approx. 15 scans
Scans done by consultant, not midwife.
Patient picks their own appointment times/dates.
No queues.
Same high ranking consultant present at all visits.
Regular monitoring (c.15 visits).
Consultant is present for birth.
Proactive monitoring of pregnancy - regular blood tests etc., problems dealt with immediately.
VHI type semi-private is somewhere in between the above (depending on plan etc.).
Experience of my wife is that she would never go public with pregnancy. On last one, a minor problem was discovered on a visit and nipped in the bud very quickly. If she had been a public patient, this problem would not have been spotted and very likely would have been a big problem around the time of the birth.
As a public patient you also have the option of share care where you can visit your GP through out your pregnancy in addition to seeing the midwives.
Most public patients are monitored regularly, often through the combined care scheme whereby they see their GP six or seven times and their hospital about six times (but more often if there is a problem). Scans are normally carried out by a doctor at the hospital and how many scans are given vary with hospital policy.
its inaccurate to say the consultant will deliver the baby.
I have to disagree with this. I was a public patient for my last pregnancy and used the Domino Scheme [broken link removed]
Im horrified - it sounds archaic!!! Have other people experienced similiar?
You mean Holles Street? Care to back that claim up with some supporting evidence?If you have to go public, then NMH is the best bet - care is better than other hospitals.
You mean Holles Street? Care to back that claim up with some supporting evidence?
You'll have to pay it, and I suspect you won't be able to claim it back (bar on a MED1). Any further visits or procedures should be covered.do I pay this and claim it back from the health insurance, or do I just give them my number and it's free?
Slightly OT:
My doctor said I needed to see a consultant and asked if I wanted to go public or private. I chose private because I have health insurance.
My question is this: the consultant's fee is 280, do I pay this and claim it back from the health insurance, or do I just give them my number and it's free?
After I got discharged I received 3 follow up phone calls to see if I was okay.
42 people on trollies vs. 15 minutes.
Thanks God I pay Vivas a lot of money every month because without it I would have had a nightmare.