Health Insurance What is the point of having private health insurance?

It's the jumping the queue of the waiting lists that I think is the big benefit to health insurance - that and having teenagers who have sports injuries and require many trips to Laya it has definitely been worth it.
 
joe sod said:
That's my thinking aswell, obviously you run the risk that you could have truly devastating health problems but the public health system is there for that aswell, this isn't the US where they look for money or insurance first before treatment. But for this strategy to work you need to truly disciplined and actually properly have a health fund built up, not to be used for kitchen renovations etc .
Also because they have the penalty in place for those who don't sign up for insurance in your 30s ,that's a bigger obstacle to getting insurance when you get older. What about all those who were scared into buying insurance a decade ago and were enticed by cheaper introduction quotes, are they still paying for insurance now that the costs have rocketed and was it worth it ? only to then drop out. At least by having your own fund that money is still there for you
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So, if you were to follow this type of strategy, how big a fund do people think would be enough?
 
Micks'r said:
So, if you were to follow this type of strategy, how big a fund do people think would be enough?
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It's about putting the money aside instead of paying insurance premiums, not about absolute fund. Probably over a 100,000 at least based on savings not put into health insurance and the fact that fund should have grown (once not invested in bonds) over last few years
 
joe sod said:
It's about putting the money aside instead of paying insurance premiums, not about absolute fund. Probably over a 100,000 at least based on savings not put into health insurance and the fact that fund should have grown (once not invested in bonds) over last few years
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It's fine to pay as you go too you would want to be terrible unlucky to need something like major heart surgery. Plus if you are very proactive in looking after your health, like maintaining a healthy weight/diet, sleep/mental health/ exercise routine etc. It goes a long way in keeping body and mind healthy as we age.

It's very important to look after the body when young as you cannot buy back good health ( no matter how good of a health insurance policy people have) when old.
 
There is no way I'd live in Ireland without private insurance. I know someone after a ski incident abroad last winter dropped into the Mater Private on their way home. They were not taking any chances with a hospital in another location (a city).

Also know of someone who regularly sends people for xrays. To a local hospital in a large town. Discovered that the reading of them leads a lot to be desired as had them analysed later in a city hospital.

As a person living abroad we have availed of EU care in Ireland for an emergency on a couple of occasions. Once you 'waive' the EU health card, we never so much as saw a bill for any procedure including surgery. Basically everything is free. My opinion is that the Irish system just can not cope with the EU people and so don't bother with bills.

My brother in law's family paid for their mothers operation, she was on a waiting list with no insurance. That's what people have to do. We are well aware that the whole point of health insurance in Ireland is to bypass the waiting lists. Personally I'd only go to Dublin if electing for something. Such as the Beacon etc.

There does not seem to be a system whereby you can stay for a reasonable price in a hospital as a support person. Here we have hospital hostels at a reasonable price. We paid for a SIL to stay in a hotel near Beaumont when a relative was getting cancer treatment, that street has mutiple ads for funeral homes. I shall never set foot in Beaumont after what I heard about it. Described as like a scene from MASH.
 
Bronte said:
There is no way I'd live in Ireland without private insurance. I know someone after a ski incident abroad last winter dropped into the Mater Private on their way home. They were not taking any chances with a hospital in another location (a city).

Also know of someone who regularly sends people for xrays. To a local hospital in a large town. Discovered that the reading of them leads a lot to be desired as had them analysed later in a city hospital.

As a person living abroad we have availed of EU care in Ireland for an emergency on a couple of occasions. Once you 'waive' the EU health card, we never so much as saw a bill for any procedure including surgery. Basically everything is free. My opinion is that the Irish system just can not cope with the EU people and so don't bother with bills.

My brother in law's family paid for their mothers operation, she was on a waiting list with no insurance. That's what people have to do. We are well aware that the whole point of health insurance in Ireland is to bypass the waiting lists. Personally I'd only go to Dublin if electing for something. Such as the Beacon etc.

There does not seem to be a system whereby you can stay for a reasonable price in a hospital as a support person. Here we have hospital hostels at a reasonable price. We paid for a SIL to stay in a hotel near Beaumont when a relative was getting cancer treatment, that street has mutiple ads for funeral homes. I shall never set foot in Beaumont after what I heard about it. Described as like a scene from MASH.
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It’s well justified fear of the public health system, particularly due to where I live, which keeps me paying into private health insurance, for the last 40 years. I also advise relatives to try to keep up insurance even though they can’t afford the increases. If a relative is having a particular operation, it’s often a Dublin hospital that is recommended. If I have to stay in Dublin as a support person, I’m paying exorbitant prices. I’m trying to make an appointment with Total Health Cover before the extremely busy Oct to Dec times, in order to look at 3 policies amounting to approx 6000 with increases, to see if there are more reasonable plans. I’d love to add up what I have paid VHI and Leya in 40 years and what they have paid out . VHI claims were very very minimal amounts re day to day expenses, they were definitely winning as I was on Plan B no procedures no ops and LEYA which I transferred to in 2014 day to day at least could claim these.
 
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A fund of 100k wouldn’t have covered my dads care over the last 2 years.. let alone the decades before that.

He was healthy and fit but developed a chronic heath condition, genes will get you every time! 30 years of cardiac care would have decimated any fund. A bill of 80 k one visit. 50k another one. The regular consultant follow up visits are €250 a pop, that he could manage but not the admissions.

Once or twice he’s been admitted to public hospitals, via ambulance during periods when private hospitals were closed. The care from the staff there has been amazing but they patch him up and wait for the next acute occasion. The private care is more proactive. And of course much more comfortable.
 
@Bronte there is a section on the HSE that looks after billing for the EU card. Don't know much about it but it's there
 
joer said:
I'm glad to have private health insurance especially when I see how long my brother, who hasn't, has to wait for procedures to be done.
I recently had an MRI on a Saturday morning in a private hospital when the rest of the hospital was closed and wasn't waiting very long to get the appointment.
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You don't need private health insurance to get an MRI without delay.
 
In support of the public services… breast check had me on for follow up tests and results PDQ last year when something showed up on the initial screening. Within a week!
 
Annieindublin said:
In support of the public services… breast check had me on for follow up tests and results PDQ last year when something showed up on the initial screening. Within a week!
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But that is fairly high up in the political pecking order , breast checks, other things then get down graded that don't have the political backing because there are only so many resources to go around
 
demoivre said:
You don't need private health insurance to get an MRI without delay.
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I understand that....I was just making the point. I was only waiting two weeks to have my MRI from the time I was told I needed one though ...
 
The occasional 2-500 on a speedy diagnosis or a visit to a private A&E is one thing, that is a risk most of us would carry in lieu of thousands on insurance.
But the beacon A&E on a Saturday followed by being admitted for a 10 day stay with numerous tests and consultants… that’s scary.

And if you need a private MRI or scan some insurance packages only give you a few euro back but that’s not the risk you ar insured for,

Like driving,,, you can suck up the small scratches and dents but not the major accident leaving many people permanently damaged. That’s what we can’t afford to risk.
 
I can see the logic in going private and just paying for scans, tests, diagnosis etc, as and when needed. If you don't have health insurance, and pay private, and are unfortunate enough to get a cancer diagnosis, for example - can you not just go into the public system at that point ?
 
joe sod said:
At least by having your own fund that money is still there for you
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Plus you can go for treatment anywhere. With health insurance you are stuck in Ireland where even patients with insurance increasingly face queues for essential diagnostics & treatment.
 
joer said:
I understand that....I was just making the point. I was only waiting two weeks to have my MRI from the time I was told I needed one though ...
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Of course, but If you pay for your MRI you will get it done just as quickly with the likes of Affidea .
 
Greenleaf said:
Yes, you can get them done privately, don't know how much they cost these days but they free with good health insurance policy.
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About €300 for an MRI in Affidea. " Free with good health insurance " is a bit of a stretch !!!!
 
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