I know there are several threads discussing the general value of health insurance. My query relates more to the mid-range policies which have partial cover for private hospitals.
I do not currently have health insurance and I wouldn’t really have a good knowledge of medical and hospital costs in general, so forgive my ignorance!
What I am trying to establish is, is there any point in having a policy that covers maybe 25-50% of the costs of medical treatment in a private hospital? It appears to me that the chances are that you would not be able to afford the remaining percentage which is not covered, and therefore are going to end up using a public hospital anyway?
Would it be best to simply decide whether you only want cover in a public hospital (i.e. a very basic plan) or if you want private cover, get 80-100% cover (i.e. a higher level plan)?
I have been researching relatively basic plans recently, up to a cost of approx €700. I am a 27 year old male with no history of any major illness. I’m still debating whether I should bother with health insurance or not, but if I do go for it, I think I would be content to just get cover for public hospitals. I probably average one GP visit per year so I don’t really see the point in getting any day-to-day cover. So I’m currently thinking of taking out one of the entry level plans e.g. VHI One Plan Starter / Quinn Essential First or Starter.
Would there be any value in me paying an extra €100-€150 and having partial cover for private hospitals? Some Quinn policies have partial private cover with a shortfall of €260-€400 per night. 5 nights in a private hospital would mean a cost for me of €1000-€2000 and I’d probably just go public. The entry level Aviva policy is €569 and is more expensive than Quinn/VHI entry level. This has 50% private cover, but as I said, would you cough up the remaining 50% or just go public?
Could anyone advise me as to whether I should consider a mid-level plan with partial private hospital cover?
I do not currently have health insurance and I wouldn’t really have a good knowledge of medical and hospital costs in general, so forgive my ignorance!
What I am trying to establish is, is there any point in having a policy that covers maybe 25-50% of the costs of medical treatment in a private hospital? It appears to me that the chances are that you would not be able to afford the remaining percentage which is not covered, and therefore are going to end up using a public hospital anyway?
Would it be best to simply decide whether you only want cover in a public hospital (i.e. a very basic plan) or if you want private cover, get 80-100% cover (i.e. a higher level plan)?
I have been researching relatively basic plans recently, up to a cost of approx €700. I am a 27 year old male with no history of any major illness. I’m still debating whether I should bother with health insurance or not, but if I do go for it, I think I would be content to just get cover for public hospitals. I probably average one GP visit per year so I don’t really see the point in getting any day-to-day cover. So I’m currently thinking of taking out one of the entry level plans e.g. VHI One Plan Starter / Quinn Essential First or Starter.
Would there be any value in me paying an extra €100-€150 and having partial cover for private hospitals? Some Quinn policies have partial private cover with a shortfall of €260-€400 per night. 5 nights in a private hospital would mean a cost for me of €1000-€2000 and I’d probably just go public. The entry level Aviva policy is €569 and is more expensive than Quinn/VHI entry level. This has 50% private cover, but as I said, would you cough up the remaining 50% or just go public?
Could anyone advise me as to whether I should consider a mid-level plan with partial private hospital cover?