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

[demoivre]

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 don't accept that at all. If you have a major event such as a heart attack or stroke you will be dealt with expeditiously through the public system. I know people who have had stents fitted, and others who have had bypass surgery in the public system. These people had no wait time as they were brought to public hospitals in an ambulance. I also know people who have had cancers detected through the bowel screen programme for over 60s and they were promptly dealt with in the public system.

The cross border directive is there as a backup for elective procedures if the wait times are too long in the public system. I accept that it wouldn't be ideal but it's there nonetheless.

 

[Annieindublin]

If you go to a private A&E with a bad cough on a Saturday they may admit you…

Happened to my dad, he had pneumonia… spent 11 weeks very ill in a private hospital.

4 years ago he had a similar issue, went to Vincent’s public spent 4 days on a trolley. Fell off and was admitted with a broken hip, after another 48 hours on a trolley. Spent 6 weeks in a crowded ward, rather a series of crowded wards. It was horrendous and they wouldn’t let him move to the private hospital once he was in.

His elective surgery wasn’t deemed acute enough, his pacemaker was failing. Once it failed they’d treat him in the meantime there was going to be a 6 month waiting list, as long as he didn’t have a heart attack in the meantime of course… if he had they’d treat him immediately and replace it.

 

[Greenleaf]

About €300 for an MRI in Affidea. " Free with good health insurance " is a bit of a stretch !!!!

300 is doable for an mri. The PET scans cost a couple grand.

 

[Annieindublin]

In terms of long term chronic care I see cancer patients and diabetics in my circle who really couldn’t fault the public system. Once they were diagnosed that is.

 

[november16]

I don't accept that at all. If you have a major event such as a heart attack or stroke you will be dealt with expeditiously through the public system. I know people who have had stents fitted, and others who have had bypass surgery in the public system. These people had no wait time as they were brought to public hospitals in an ambulance. I also know people who have had cancers detected through the bowel screen programme for over 60s and they were promptly dealt with in the public system.

The cross border directive is there as a backup for elective procedures if the wait times are too long in the public system. I accept that it wouldn't be ideal but it's there nonetheless.

Not mine or my parents experience, my Mother suffered a serious stroke, then contracted MRSA in the public hospital, she unfortunately had no private health insurance, and was left to wait for treatment, whilst her neighbour with similar condition with private health insurance received superior care and access to diagnosis scans etc. She ended up on a peg feed. What I saw in that particular facility I will never forget. The reason she survived was because we watched her, sat by her providing around the clock family care, and paid for a nurse to oversee her care at night. The neglect was undeniable. I believe, as an elderly person without private health insurance, and no influence she was bypassed for treatment. We ended up begging for her to be sent to the stroke unit, this wasn’t going to happen. No Physiotherapy, no wheelchair to bring, patient to physio. Running after the Geriatrician, get in the queue, pleading with him, he played God, and had no interest in providing one of his precious beds, in the only stroke unit, for an uninsured elderly lady. This was 2002 when the tiger was roaring. It’s now worse, much worse. No I won’t give up private health insurance if I can help it, for the reasons described above.

 

[GAAmam]

I think its virtually impossible to gauge 'how much'; even for a healthy individual you just don't know what is around the corner. Its not like accepting the risk when only having 3rd party car insurance, no way of knowing and you'd probably have to put away a lot more than a mid-tier health insurance policy would cost.
Private Hospitals are very expensive, I had surgery earlier this year. One night in a semi-private room in a (non-hi tech) Private hospital; I was there for just under 26 hours - Admitted at 7am and gone by 9am the following morning. Laya were charged €7,800 for this; the Surgeon's fees (op was 90 minutes) were €1,600 and the Anaesthetist was €1,100. Rest of it was hospital fees.
It would also be very difficult to 'distance' yourself from this fund, I know I'd be looking at the price of medical treatment and questioning it and resenting it to a certain degree. I was under the care of an unpleasant consultant a while ago who imo was 'all about the money' and while his fees were covered in full by the health insurance I had funded I know I would have felt more like I was paying him directly and resenting it.