Question re Health Insurance

mum2bee

Hi all,

Hope someone can answer my question.

I'm not pregnant but hope to be in the coming months. I don't have health insurance and I wont be going private if I do get pregnant.

I would however like to get health insurance anyway, just wondering...if I go public to have a baby, would my health insurance still cover me for a private room (provided there's one available of course).

If so, would the 1 year waiting period for maternity care apply? Even though I wouldn't be availing of the maternity care...

Hope this makes sense...:)

crazy cat lady

I don't think you can claim a thing until the one year waiting period is up.

If you have a baby after the one year waiting period, they should cover you for a room/semi private bed even if you don't go private. I went public and was given a private room and my health insurance covered it. Just had to sign a form!

January

There is a 52 week wait for any care.

mum2bee

Thanks, just dont want to be left in the corner of an overcrowded room again

Oleander

January wrote: »

There is a 52 week wait for any care.

So, if you want to take out healthcare insurance with maternity cover benefits etc, you have to wait a year for cover to apply?? OMG!

Does anyone know approx how much it costs to go private for the whole having a baby thing?

pollypocket10

It depends on the hospital. In Limerick you can only go private for your stay if you've gone private through your consultant throughout. The midwives there have told me there is talk of changing it but that is the policy at the moment.

I would ask the insurance provider when you are signing up though. I recently took out insurance after a break, thought it was better to have it and to get the baby covered even though I've gone public for my pregnancy. I asked if I would be covered for some of the extras that go along with maternity like breast feeding consultations if needed and they told me I would

drfrank

to go completely private

Consultants fees 2000-4000 euro

3 day/night inpatient stay - 3000 euro (900+ per night - cheaper to have a junior suite at the Shelbourne !!)

Paediatricians Fees

Pathologists fees (for blood tests/ placenta examination etc)

I think all in you are looking at the bones of 10k.

January

drfrank wrote: »

to go completely private

Consultants fees 2000-4000 euro

3 day/night inpatient stay - 3000 euro (900+ per night - cheaper to have a junior suite at the Shelbourne !!)

Paediatricians Fees

Pathologists fees (for blood tests/ placenta examination etc)

I think all in you are looking at the bones of 10k.

And that's for a normal delivery, if you have complications and need a c section, that will cost more. If baby has to go to NICU or SCBU that will cost more because if you are private they will assume baby is too.

Moonbeam

It is possible though very unusual as a public patient that you will get a private room.
I had a private room last time it was lovely:)
Had a semi private room this time, it had 5 beds,shared showers no baths.2 toilets between many women.
It was not exactly my ideal but asked to go home the next day.
I noticed a huge difference between both and I wonder what public wards are like..
As far as delivery goes the midwives are angels:)
I have being curiously looking at Mount Carmel for the future.

Kristopherus

In the public hospitals the mother's confinement is free as is the child's while it is there. IMHO no need for health insurance unless for medical reasons. The mother also has free service of her GP under the Mother & Infant scheme. That scheme is open to all mothers.

January

Moonbeam wrote: »

It is possible though very unusual as a public patient that you will get a private room.
I had a private room last time it was lovely:)
Had a semi private room this time, it had 5 beds,shared showers no baths.2 toilets between many women.
It was not exactly my ideal but asked to go home the next day.
I noticed a huge difference between both and I wonder what public wards are like..
As far as delivery goes the midwives are angels:)
I have being curiously looking at Mount Carmel for the future.

In the Rotunda the public wards are atrocious, when I was in having Addison in 2008 there were 12 beds in the ward. In the Coombe last year with Saoirse I was in a public ward but there were only 4 beds in the ward, other wards had 6 beds.

lollb

most general hospitals only have a small number of private rooms, the likelyhood of getting a private room when you have not gone private with the obstetrician are extremely rare.

Even private patients do not always get private rooms, these rooms have to be first used in case they are needed for isolation purposes and then to private patients.

hope this helps

drfrank

January wrote: »

And that's for a normal delivery, if you have complications and need a c section, that will cost more. If baby has to go to NICU or SCBU that will cost more because if you are private they will assume baby is too.

With regards to the baby they are covered from the day they are born so would be covered on your policy even if you are not (for maternity).

January

drfrank wrote: »

With regards to the baby they are covered from the day they are born so would be covered on your policy even if you are not (for maternity).

Poster was asking about if they had no insurance though, how much it costs to go private.

Oleander

So, no insurance whatsoever and would definitely not opt for Private!!

If I were to go and have a baby and opt for the Public service and not pay insurance, what are the approx costs for say, 3 nights in a public ward/hospital and the basic maternity benefits, does anyone know??

January

Oleander wrote: »

So, no insurance whatsoever and would definitely not opt for Private!!

If I were to go and have a baby and opt for the Public service and not pay insurance, what are the approx costs for say, 3 nights in a public ward/hospital and the basic maternity benefits, does anyone know??

Public service is 100% free, you don't pay for a bed in the hospital, for scans, for antenatal care, for the labour, the epidural, if you have a c section. It's all taken care of.

Sure, the queue's may be longer to see the midwife/consultant when you're pregnant, but when you're in labour you're treated the same as anybody else whether public/semi-private/private (private patients, MAY have their consultant present but it's not always the case). The public wards are larger also.

SEORG

pollypocket10 wrote: »

It depends on the hospital. In Limerick you can only go private for your stay if you've gone private through your consultant throughout. The midwives there have told me there is talk of changing it but that is the policy at the moment.

Hi, does anyone know if this is still the case, we have private health insurance and from the insurance company "are entitled to three nights in private or semi-private hospital accommodation up to a maximum of €3,200" but we are going public before hand. €4000 for consultant fees is too costly.

Just looking for a head-up, haven't contacted the hospital about this yet as it is still early in the pregancy.

Moonbeam

Just ring them and ask but most hospitals will not usually let you because there are not enough private beds.
If you have not booked the hospital book asap.

curlybob

It cost my sister in law 3,500 to go private in Galway...I am going public and Quinn Insurance will cover a private room if organised in time with the hospital. they have a 1 year waiting period...best of luck