Urgent VHI question

jank

OK bear with me here.

I have VHI insurance for the last number of years. I am covered under the familys scheme and so on since I was born. Anyway, now I am working abroad and may not be back in Ireland for a few months at least or maybe a few years...

Now my health insurance is up in a few days me and my dad were wondering what to do about this. He tells me that if I dont get insured this year that I will lose all the benfits and credits I have gathered with VHI over the last number of years. I suppose you can think of it like a no claims bonus. He said that if/when I come back to Ireland if I want health insurance again I will pay for it but will have to wait anything up to 10 years to get covered or any benfit from. Its some kind of clause that I havent heard about.

Now this seems a bit crazy to me but do I have the above right? And if so is there anyway around it other than pay for insurace you will never use?

Sorry if this makes sense but thats who it was explained to me

NuMarvel

jank wrote: »

OK bear with me here.

I have VHI insurance for the last number of years. I am covered under the familys scheme and so on since I was born. Anyway, now I am working abroad and may not be back in Ireland for a few months at least or maybe a few years...

Now my health insurance is up in a few days me and my dad were wondering what to do about this. He tells me that if I dont get insured this year that I will lose all the benfits and credits I have gathered with VHI over the last number of years. I suppose you can think of it like a no claims bonus. He said that if/when I come back to Ireland if I want health insurance again I will pay for it but will have to wait anything up to 10 years to get covered or any benfit from. Its some kind of clause that I havent heard about.

Now this seems a bit crazy to me but do I have the above right? And if so is there anyway around it other than pay for insurace you will never use?

Sorry if this makes sense but thats who it was explained to me

Your dad is essentially correct. When you take out health insurance in Ireland, waiting periods apply to your cover: i.e. lengths of time you have to be a member before certain types of cover kick in. (A different story if you're transferring between Irish health insurers, but that's not applicable in your case).

However, it may not be as bad as you think. The ten years that your dad refers to is the waiting period that applies to pre existing conditions if someone is 60 or over when they join. Vhi's website has a list of the waiting periods here.

You could downgrade your cover to the cheapest possible product (be it from VHI or abother insurer) so that when you come back you have some kind of cover, even if it isn't exactly the one you have at the moment.

You could also perhaps switch to VHI's Global plan, which covers people who are aborad for 6 months or more. When you come back, all the time on Global is recognised as well. The catch there is that it's pricey (circa €1,200) but at least you'll have health insurance that you can use abroad and will be recognised when you come back.

One thing to bear in mind though is that you don't have to make this decison before you go. As you say yourself, you may only be abroad for a few months and vhi will cover people abroad for emergency treatment for up to six months.

honkytonk52

yeah the best thing to do would be to go for a global policy the price all depends on your age and where you are living if you are in the US or Canada it can be very expensive, also if you do cancel and have a break in cover of more than 13 week all wating periods will apply when you come back, essentially you will be joinig as a new member again, also as standard on policy you have 180 days cover for emergency but if you trip in longer than 180 days this will be void and you will not have cover

broker2008

If you are not more than 180 days out of the country and didn't let your cover lapse for more than 13 wekks, there would be no waiting period.