Dubious benefits of private maternity healthcare?

antiskeptic · 10-03-2011 7:53pm #1

Hi there..

My wife is a few weeks pregnant on our first - for which hooray! The Financial Times have tightened and I'm trimming the wick on outgoings - current focus being healthcare. I've reduced my own (private) plan to 'most basic' - but we're wondering about what approach to take with her plan (currently basic VHI Plan A (or we can switch to the equivilent Quinn Essential)

Maternity-wise, those plans contribute:

- full cover in public hospitals/ ca. euro 3000 for 3 days in a private hospital

- part of the consultant cost at delivery (ca. 800 in Quinns case)

- fairly limited amounts for other associated consultations.

Is there any point in paying to have this cover? What does 'full cover in a public hospital' get you that free maternity care in the public health service doesn't? Or what use 800 towards a consultant at delivery unless you're prepared to pay the rest of the delivery fee AND the fees associated with consultations with that same consultant prior to the event - I'm assuming you're first meeting with a consultant isn't in the delivery room

Can anyone familar with navigating this route advise?

Thanks..

Sorry that my first foray into this forum concerns the financial but that's the way the cookies crumbled...

Toots · 12-03-2011 12:40am

Just to warn you if you do switch health cover providers, there's usually a 52 week waiting period for maternity benefits, so seeing as your wife is already pregnant, she might not be entitled to the benefits if you switch.

Basically full cover in a public hospital (from what I understand after speaking to my health cover provider) is that they will cover your accommodation in a public hospital if you decide to go public, semi private or private in the public hospital. If you wanted to go to a private hospital ie: Mount Carmel, then you get your €3000, which is paid to the hospital directly, and any additional fees are payable by you.

To give you an example I'm going semi-private in Holles Street, and I'm on Aviva Business Plan Select (not sure what the equivalent VHI would be, probably B options or C). My insurance will cover me for 3 nights semi private room (if I'm lucky enough to get one

) in the event of a normal delivery and 5 nights for C section. You see the same consultant for your pre-natal visits, but they may not be there when you deliver. The consultants fees are €900, but then I can claim half that back on insurance. Epidural, if needed, is covered by insurance, so is the C-Section. Blood work is only partially covered by insurance AFAIK, so there's a shortfall of about €50.

A friend of mine went public in the Coombe and she was very happy with it, from what I can see the standard of care is exactly same, the only difference is that there are often longer queues for appointments if you go public, and there are more beds in the ward if you go public. That said, even if you're private/semi private and they haven't got a semi/private room for you, you'll be put in a public ward until one frees up, so I wouldn't rely on getting the private room

2 of my sisters in law went SP, and one got her semi-private room straight away, the other was in a public ward after all 3 of her births because the hospital was jammed, so it's really pot luck. Personally I went semi private because it's easier to time the appointments, and so far I've found the queues shorter. (I had to go to the public clinic as an emergency once and the queue was huge).

Give your insurance company a ring, mine were helpful enough when I rang up.

Hope this is of some help, and congratulations!

ted1 · 12-03-2011 12:48am

we've just found out we're expecting our second. Last time we went semi private in hs and didn't have to pay the 900 can't believe we have to pay pm much now especially as insurance has gone up. We're also on business select plus.

EmerBaggott · 29-04-2011 1:58am

Hi im also with Aviva which offers great maternity benifits, it's a nurses and teachers plan. Iv only recently signed up, Im thinking ahead

Im almost sure we'l go to Holles Street, but Im in two minds whether to go private there or semi private, is there any real difference asides from accomodation...The insurance company will cover both, well most of it...would there be any huge difference in price (owed in conjunction with the insurance company between private & semi private in Holles S)??? Thanks everyone

kg2012 · 18-05-2011 9:31am

Hi all,
We recently found out were expecting our first!!!!

Now were wondering after the debate of ehich hospital to go to and deciding on Holles Street?? as to whether or not to go Semi private or Private??

I have buisness plan select cover from aviva and am wondering what they ACTUALLY cover and whether or not it costs alot more to go private or if its worth the extra cash!?! Have so many question but as we havent told people yet as were only 7 and half weeks now would appreciate any help or advice you could give!?!?

Excited and Nervous new mum to be!!!!

Hannibal Smith · 18-05-2011 10:15am

There are two reasons why I have chosen semi private over private, on both occasions.

First is obviously the difference in cost (4000 vs 900 for Holles Street).

Second is the 'luck of the draw'. If you pay for private care, obviously you see your consultant at every visit and you don't face any major waiting times. You see them in a lovely plush office and it's all very nice. But you get to see the same consultant everytime with semi private too.

When it comes down to the birth, you get the same treatment as everyone else. If your consultant is around they'll be there for the birth, if not you get whoever is on call. That's the same with semi private.

After the birth, you'll get a lovely private room to yourself, provided there is one available. If there isn't you'll be put into a semi private room and moved when a room becomes free. Personally i'm not willing to take that gamble, not with 4k of my money

Cat Melodeon · 20-05-2011 1:31pm

We have private insurance with Quinn, a pretty decent package through my husband's job, but we decided to go public on this and our previous pregnancy. Last time, we saw the same team of consultants throughout the pregnancy - not the same lead consultant, but one of his team of 6. That didn't bother me in the slightest as I hoped to not need a consultant at any point during the pregnancy and birth and in any case, the lead consultant was on holidays when I was due so it was good to have met the rest of his team. I did end up having some issues with high blood pressure in later pregnancy but this was mostly handled by the midwives and my own GP, not by the obstetricians. The birth was very straightforward and I didn't see a doctor until about 20 mins after the delivery (I needed some stitches) - I just had a midwife with me for the whole 4 hours and then a second one came to assist with the delivery.

Basically, I was so impressed with the standard of public care that I did not feel the need to go private. A friend of mine went private in the same hospital and did not get her private room, nor did she get to see her consultant until 2 days after the birth (he was away). She went public on her subsequent 2 births and found the standard of care to be exactly the same as on private, the only difference being that she had to attend the antenatal clinic in the hospital rather than at the consultant's private clinic and generally spent 30-45mins longer waiting for appointments.

I'd say the choice on whether to go private or public (semi-public seems to be the worst of both worlds - expensive for not many extras) should come down to:
- whether you have 3-4K to spare
- if the mother-to-be/baby have any underlying health issues (although the public system will take care of these well too, you might want the extra reassurance of 'guaranteed' continuity of care)
- if the mother-to-be is working (although women are entitled to time off for antenatal appointments, shorter appointment times might be a factor if you are self-employed or have a less than understanding employer)

ted1 · 24-05-2011 8:35pm

we've the same plan.went semi private but going public this time as the misses wants to go via the mid wife clinic.

LegacyUser · 27-05-2011 1:43am

You can still choose to go public, even if you have private health cover.

I went public and whilst the queues were long, the fact that I was saving a lot of money meant they were bearable. The treatment you receive is the same once you're in hospital to deliver, so I really didn't see any point in forking out cash that could be better spent on a buggy etc.

Oh, and I ended up in a private room with private bathroom for three days - and I'm sure there were plenty of private/semi-private who were on a larger wards at the time!

Dubious benefits of private maternity healthcare?

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