moved home from uk and pregnant please help me

swellin

Hi there,

Ive just moved back to Ireland from England after living there for 8 years. We have just set up a new business (yes i know shocking in the recession etc) and i have just discovered im 7 weeks pregnant. Obviously the stress levels are through the roof what with the move, new business etc.

I saw the GP who asked me to make a "booking appointment" with the coombe which i did. The midwife said to contact the accounts office as my fees might not be covered. OMG i am now sick with worry. The accounts dept require a letter from HSE to say my fees will be covered. Phoned HSE,the lady had no idea what i was on about. Told me I more than likely wont be covered. She gave me a local number to contact but that person isnt available today.

I really am at my wits end and cant cope now. We cant afford to shell out thousands of euro on top of everything else. Moving back to the UK is not an option.

There must be someone else who has had this problem and could point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance!

cynder

Public Health Care
[FONT=Verdana,arial,geneva,san-serif]
[*]Maternity and Infant care services including the services of a GP during pregnancy and for up to six weeks after the birth.
[/LIST]


Must say when i had my baby i had to sign a form at the doctors to get my free health care....

phone up your doctor and ask him!

Best of luck.
[/FONT]

emmiou

From HSE guide http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/Publications/services/LHOGuides/West_Cork_HSE_Guide.pdf

All expectant mothers are entitled to free Maternity Care and Post Natal visits
up to six weeks after a baby is born, including Public Health Nursing
following the birth of a child. Developmental checks are also provided for all
infants and young children.

Who is eligible for Health Services in Ireland?
Everyone who is ordinarily resident in Ireland is eligible for public health services.
This means people who have been living here for a minimum of one year or
intend to live here for a minimum of one year.

cynder

Irish nationals who have been living outside Ireland

If you come back to live in Ireland and are working or self-employed here or if you intend to stay for a year, then you are ordinarily resident and come under the usual rules.
If you are not in this situation and you have been living and working in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, your entitlement to health services when you return is decided under the rules applying to EU nationals.
If you have been abroad on a short-term contract, you continue to be regarded as ordinarily resident.
If you have been resident abroad for a period of up to three years but your Local Health Office of the HSE is satisfied that you did not establish an entitlement to health services in any other country, the HSE should regard you as ordinarily resident in Ireland if you require treatment when you return to Ireland. This factor is important in that it ensures that people who emigrate from Ireland do not lose their health service eligibility on residence grounds before they have a chance to establish eligibility elsewhere. This provision does not apply where someone is covered by EU regulations in another country and, in particular, it would not entitle a person temporarily resident in another EU country to have the HSE extend the European Health Insurance Card beyond the normal period.


This is off the citzens advice website http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/health/entitlement-to-health-services/health_services_and_visitors_to_ireland

hope this helps, again make sure you sign the form at the doctors....

swellin

Thank you so much I can stop crying now maybe!!!I've signed a form at the GPs today for duel something or other i think. honestly this pregnancy has fried my brain!

LavaLamp

grindelwald wrote: »

• Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments. If your doctor refers you, there is no charge. Otherwise it costs £25 per visit.[/FONT]

£25 a visit? I just received a €100 invoice for a recent A&E trip - am I being completely over-charged??

sorry, totally off topic but would like to be sure about this before I pay it!


OP, you will be entitled to free maternity care, but if you want any part of it private you will have to pay.

swellin

Does anyone know what exactly the coombe were looking for when they asked for a letter from the HSE.

January

LavaLamp wrote: »

[/LIST]

£25 a visit? I just received a €100 invoice for a recent A&E trip - am I being completely over-charged??

sorry, totally off topic but would like to be sure about this before I pay it!


OP, you will be entitled to free maternity care, but if you want any part of it private you will have to pay.

[/SIZE]

No, you're not being totally over charged, the €100 is correct.

OP, are you an Irish citizen? Have you got a PPS number? If so the Coombe should not need a letter if you're going public...

swellin

hi. Yes Im an Irish citizen and I do have PPS number just havent paid tax here in over 8 years. They seemed pretty adamant that I needed confirmation from the HSE. I did say about having a PPS number but didnt seem to make much difference.

robinph

Don't know anything about the pregnancy side of things and costs, but if your paid up in NI contributions then that should cover you in Ireland as well. I did have some form many, many moons ago when claiming for something which had sections for both PPS (or whatever they called it then) and NI numbers on them, when I'd not got enough stamps paid in Ireland by that point.

Moonbeam

Is this uk or over 10 years old?
This information is not correct at all.

grindelwald wrote: »

Public Health Care
[FONT=Verdana,arial,geneva,san-serif]by Eugenie Houston

You will also be entitled to the following services, provided you are an EU national or ordinarily resident in Ireland:

• All in-patient public hospital services in public wards, including consultant services, subject to certain charges. There is a daily charge of £26 for public hospital accommodation, up to a maximum limit of £260 in any consecutive 12 months.
• All other out-patient hospital services, including consultants.
• Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments. If your doctor refers you, there is no charge. Otherwise it costs £25 per visit.
• Maternity and Infant care services including the services of a GP during pregnancy and for up to six weeks after the birth.

Must say when i had my baby i had to sign a form at the doctors to get my free health care....

phone up your doctor and ask him!

Best of luck.
[/FONT]

cynder

Sorry got that off the net only read the bottom bit about maternity care. I did go on to the citizens advice web site and posted link. It's also in pounds so that's a little out dated. Sorry for that.

cynder

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/health/women-s-health/maternity_and_infant_welfare_services



This should be the form you filled out at the The Maternity and Infant Care Scheme provides an agreed programme of care to all expectant mothers who are ordinarily resident in Ireland. This service is provided by a family doctor (GP) of your choice and a hospital obstetrician. You are entitled to this service even if you do not have a medical card. Virtually all GPs have agreements with the Health Service Executive (HSE) to provide these services; they do not have to be part of the GPs and medical cards system. The Scheme also provides for two post-natal visits to the general practitioner.
Rules
The combined medical services are provided by*your family doctor (GP) and a hospital obstetrician.
The GP provides an initial examination, if possible before 12 weeks, and a further 6 examinations during the pregnancy, which are alternated with visits to the maternity unit/hospital. The schedule of visits may be changed by your GPa and/or hospital obstetrician, depending on your individual situation.
If you have*a significant illness, e.g. diabetes or hypertension, you may have up to 5 additional visits to the GP.
Care for other illnesses which you may have at this time, but which are not related to your pregnancy is not covered by the Scheme.
After the birth, the GP will examine the baby at 2 weeks and both mother and baby at 6 weeks.
The mother is entitled to free in-patient and out-patient public hospital services in respect of the pregnancy and the birth and is not liable for any of the hospital charges.
Infant Care Services
The GP who attends the mother also provides care for the new-born baby; they will provide*two developmental examinations*free of charge at 2 weeks and 6 weeks following the birth.
The baby's entitlement to other free GP services depends on whether they have a medical card. This means that visits to the GP for any conditions related to the baby's health during this six week period or afterwards are not covered by the scheme unless the baby itself has a medical card.
If you have a medical card for yourself, you should apply for one for your baby as soon as you get the baby's PPS No. You can do this by phone to your Local Health Office. You will not be able to get free services from your GP*until you can produce the baby's card (except for the 2 examinations above).
The public health nurse visits the mother and baby at home during the first 6 weeks.
Medical tests
If the baby is born in a hospital, it is usual to carry out screening for metabolic disorders (the Guthrie or heel prick test). If the baby is born at home, the test may be carried out by the GP or in the out-patients department of a hospital. This test requires parental consent.
How to apply
Your GP should have application forms for the Maternity and Infant Care Scheme, which you and your GP complete together. Return the form to your Local Health Office.
You should contact the public health nurse at your local health centre to enquire about antenatal classes. Find contact information for your local health centre here.
*
Last Updated: 04/03/2010
Subject Terms: maternal and infant health, maternity services
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*

swellin

Tried to contact that lady at HSE today but she is "out on the Swine Flu" whatever that means . She is to phone me back on monday. I'll be quoting all your information. Thank you all so much again for your help.

swellin

Just to update incase anyone has this issue again. Still havent made contact with the HSE lady (keep missing each others calls). I contacted the Coombe again and I have to bring in details of my rental agreement to confirm that I'll be here for a year and they seem ok with that. I will try that HSE lady again tomorrow just to make sure.

cynder

Thats good news,


forgot to add before

congrats on the baby, hope everything works out.

do you know much about you maternity leave?