Hi Luternau,
Just a couple of things to highlight in your situation before choosing a plan.
As you have given up health insurance for the past 2-3 years, you will be classed as a new customer.
This means you will have to serve new customer waiting times again, for inpatient cover and outpatient cover, according to your age bracket.
Once you lapse health insurance for more than 13 weeks, new customer waiting times apply.
Details of inpatient waiting times as follows;
www.hia.ie/consumer-information/waiting-periods/new-customer-waiting-periods/
Outpatient waiting times are also on the above link.
The new range of FOCUS plans with Aviva are available to compare as follows;
www.hia.ie/latest-news/latest-news/aviva-release-8-new-plans-28.06.2013/
They can also be checked out here;
www.avivahealth.ie/focus-plans/
Note; these plans have a selected list of public, private and hi-tech hospitals
which can be checked out on the above links. Its important to see if the hospitals you would require are covered in your area, before choosing one of these plans.
Also, for orthopaedic surgery(hip or knee replacment) in private hospitals, there is a €2,000 co payment.
Some of these plans don't have good outpatient cover, which is something you're particularly interested in.
As an alternative option,
Laya Healthcare have a couple of new plans coming out on 1 August and 9 August 2013, worth checking out.
1. Simply Health Connect; price 960(987); full hospital cover, good outpatient cover with no waiting times for outpatient cover regardless of age.
www.hia.ie/latest-news/latest-news/...nnect-and-health-sense-connect-on-01.08.2013/
2. Connectcare plan; price 990(1017); full hospital cover, good outpatient cover with no waiting times for outpatient cover regardless of age.
www.hia.ie/latest-news/latest-news/laya-will-release-a-new-plan-connectcare-on-09.08.2013/
Laya healthcare have no co payments for orthopaedic surgery and no age-related waiting times for outpatient cover which may be an advantage in your case.
Regards, Snowyb