Students with VHI Plan B: Covered for surgery in UK?

[brokeparent]

My son is insured as a student with VHI - Plan B options. He has suffered a knee injury that requires surgery. He is studying in England and it is very difficult to get everything synchronised for his holidays to get the surgery done here. Will VHI cover him to have the surgery over there. I do intend to phone them directly but I find synchronising their work time and my off time very difficult too.

 

[scuby]

to have surgery covered in the uk or anywhere else, normally it has to be pre-certified. your Dr would have to send in a medical report to vhi stating why it has to be done in the uk, usually only if it cannot be done in ireland, or if it's a new type of surgery. Other wise he would have to come home to have it covered, as far as i know he also has to be resident in ireland for 6 months of the year for his insurance to cover him.

 

[Guest127]

know someone whose son is abroad in university in germany for 6 months of year and vhi cover him for an additonal fee. when he returns in june you inform them that he is now 'home' and they refund the part of the year that he is not 'abroad'

 

[brokeparent]

Just spoke to VHI today. They will cover him for treatment here even though he is studying in England. In order to avail of cover over there he must be part of the global cover for students. As the global cover will keep him covered until he is old enough (and qualified enough) to go out to work we are going to take it out. Student cover in Ireland alone ends at age 21.When his student days are over he can come back to VHI here and rejoin as if he had been insured without interruption.

 

[euroDilbert]

Is he not also covered under the NHS anyway ?

When I lived there, there was much less incentive to get private health insurance as the public system worked (relatively) well.

 

[brokeparent]

He is covered under NHS but it is all moving very slowly. He was hoping to get surgery done before the summer holidays as he is going on a J1 visa to America and is hoping to be fit to play GAA when he is there. His experience with NHS actually would indicate that maybe the service has disimproved since you were there. They have managed to lose his paperwork between the visit to the GP and getting the appointment with the specialist.