No Health Insurance

Gunnersonny

My mother has just begun treatment for ovarian cancer and has discovered my dad has stopped payments to BUPA afte having a dispute with them last year. Her treatment so far has all been in a public hospital, althought she did have the benefit of having a private room for the first week in hospital.
Currently she is undergoing Chemo therapy and will have an operation in a few months followed by more chemo therapy.
Now of course she is getting worried about costs etc., and I've told her not to as she is in public care.
What is the situation here with regards paying for treatment / health care?

helimachoptor

The Gfs sister had a 2 week say in hospital a few months back and had no VHI, I thought she was going to be landed with a bill for thousands. She had a few ultra sounds,biopsy & a keyhole op + 14 nights in a public bed. She got the bill for about €500, What are we paying VHI for!

Ogham

Health insurance is a bit of a con in my opinion. Public Healthcare is mostly free in ireland - you just pay for stays in hospital but there is a cap on it . The health insurance companies - backed by the government - prey on peoples worries that they will have to pay big bills. Profit is what it's all about and Nary Harney & co are helping things by making the public system gradually worse.
Insurance helps you jume the queue and maybe get a private room - but the treatment is the same.

Fulton Crown

helimachoptor wrote: »

The Gfs sister had a 2 week say in hospital a few months back and had no VHI, I thought she was going to be landed with a bill for thousands. She had a few ultra sounds,biopsy & a keyhole op + 14 nights in a public bed. She got the bill for about €500, What are we paying VHI for!

Health Insurance is primarily for ACCESS to treatment and the ability to pick your own consultant and have additional flexibility around treatment times etc.
Your PRSI contributions ensure that if you are treated in a public facility the cost is capped as described above.

Problem is that waiting lists are long in public wards and someone with the foresight to have H.Ins takes responsibility for funding their own Healthcare and uses a different system.

I am always at loss as to why people describe this a "jumping the Queue".

Are people who opt for "priority boarding" on Ryanair jumping the queue ?

Nermal

Fulton Crown wrote: »

Problem is that waiting lists are long in public wards and someone with the foresight to have H.Ins takes responsibility for funding their own Healthcare and uses a different system.

Consider that half the people in the country have private health insurance - often the private waiting list is longer than the public one. Not to mention the NTPF.

Fulton Crown

Nermal wrote: »

Consider that half the people in the country have private health insurance - often the private waiting list is longer than the public one. Not to mention the NTPF.

Figures do not support that - surveys show that people who fund their own Healthcare consistently get faster access.

NTPF is good in theory - but can be slow and beaurocratic

dudara

Our health service, when it works, is great value. I tore my medial ligament and hamstring once and was taken to A&E where I paid the €50-odd fee. Following a few hours in A&E, some x-rays and a pair of crutches, I then received a course of physio treatments (about 6 weeks I think) from the out-patients department and I didn't have to pay an extra penny. Couldn't complain about that.

Since then I have opted for private health insurance, just to ensure that I have options available to me should anything happen.