Maternity. Go public or keep my private insurance?

EyeOnTheBall

Hi ladies

Myself and my husband are planning on having our first baby soon But I have one problem, the price of our health insurance.
Money is a little tight at the moment, we're doing okay but the health insurance is just gone bonkers. We were thinking of cancelling it as it's due for renewal now.

So I would like to ask any mammys out there, is it fine to have your baby in the public healthcare system? I hear so many horror stories but I'm beginning to wonder if it can be all that bad?!!

Any experiences out there of having a baby through the public system? Would love you to tell me what it's like.

P.s. Im in the Galway city area.

Thanks

rainbow kirby

Moved from tLL to Pregnant.

Das Kitty

Had mine in UCHG.

It's the same public and private for the most part. Also you'll end up paying about 3K outside of your insurance for private too so if you're short of cash, public is the only way really.

I have no major complaints about the hospital. For the most part the care was excellent. My only qualm was that there isn't much privacy pre and post labour, curtained wards. A lot of private patients are in these wards too as there aren't enough private rooms.

lynski

unless you are going to a private hospital i dont get why anyone would go private for maternity care. maybe if the wait times are too much, but you can use the midwife clinics or outreach clinics and combined care to try to minimise this. I had only 3 hosp apps this pg, dating scan, 22 wks and 40 wks the 22 wk one was fine other 2 were 2/3 hrs. was seen by gp and midwives rest of time.
On previous pg i needed extra scans and attention and got as many scans and apps as i needed (7 scans in total). had a private room for labour and delivery too.
There are schemes that are not available to private patients too like domino and early release home.
Keep your insurance, but use it for things like the gentle birth package if you are aviva, or the nurse line. it could also be useful after baby arrives if needed.

ted1

kitty there is always semi private. You won't pay the three grand.

Mom2Be

As far as i know you do ted. I went semi private on my daughter and still had to pay the consultant fees. Mind you, that was all we paid, everything else is covered..

Cat Melodeon

Definitely go public. I have no experience of Galway Hospital but thought the standard of service going public in Kilkenny was excellent. My best friend went private there on her first and public on her next two, said private was anabsolute waste of money.

Most of the horror stories I've heard relate to the Dublin hospitals and overcrowding, and in that situation it doesn't really matter if you're public or private, it's first come first serve for everything from a bed to a ward to an epidural. If your private insurance covered everything, I'd say go for it, but it doesn't, you'll end up paying at least 3K on top of your premium payments.

Mom2Be

I agree with Cat.

Im less than 2 weeks away from my due date on this baby (no.2) and opted for public care this time, I still have health insurance but just couldnt justify paying the consultants fees. It was €1600 seven years ago and i believe its over €3000 now..
Im attending Limerick maternity and can not fault the care i have received so far. Midwives are just fantastic and do all the work as far as im concerned anyway.

Had my daughter 7 yrs ago and consultant wasnt even present at the birth so there is no guarantees..

Lola92

Just my 2c here.

I had my baby on Dec 1st. I went public in NMH, Holles St. Couldn't have been happier with my time there. Lovely friendly midwives, even down to the cleaning and catering staff. I had very comprehensive high level health insurance but didn't feel that it was worthwhile to go Private or even Semi P. As it happened there were 2 Semi Private and 1 Private patient on my ward anyway!!

Amik

Glad I found this thread!

My wife and I recently moved here from another EU country and are planning to have a baby - might as well spend our time here in this lovely country well ))

I don't understand the health system though. I've been offered health insurance by my employer but according to the adviser my wife cannot take advantage of the maternity options until she has been on the plan for over a year.

I heard a rumour before I came here that giving birth in Ireland was free in public hospitals. Maybe that's if you have a medical card (which we don't qualify for). That 3000 EUR figure sound enormous and if true we may have to wait out that year.

January

Maternity care is free whether you have a medical card or not.

admiralofthefleet

January wrote: »

Maternity care is free whether you have a medical card or not.

this is what we found out last week. we were going to go fully private in holles street but we discovered that the foetal assesement isnt covered so we are going public now

Amik

OK interesting.

So is pre-natal care + the birth itself all free? All these quotes of 3000EUR+ I see above are for care in a private hospital?

If it's free what's the point of the insurance? Swankier room? Potentially better doctors?

January

Public care - all antenatal care (not guaranteed to see the same midwife/consultant at every visit), including scans, the birth, and bed in public ward after birth is free.

Private care - guaranteed to see same consultant at every visit, they may be at the birth, and you may get a private bed or a semi private bed but not guaranteed. Scan must be paid for also.

Amik

Sounds good! Just one last question: so if complications are discovered before/after birth during the scheduled visits, are the costs related to treating them also covered?

ellee

Everything is free under the public system no matter what complications, issues etc that might be discovered. Your visits to the GP are covered before and for the 6 week appt afterwards. If you are public, your baby will be treated as public also.

The actual care you get probably varies a bit from hospital to hospital. I was in the Coombe and you are placed under the care of one consultant you see that consultant and his/her team only. You can choose the team.

Care in a completely private hospital is quite rare and would probably work out more expensive that the €3k you see quoted. Though I think the Mt Carmel have a new scheme operating for about €1700 fees for combined care with your GP assuming you have health insurance.

Private with health insurance is expensive, private without health insurance is even more expensive.

EmerBaggott

Hi, I have recently taken out health insurance (Im thinking ahead ), but im in two mind whether to go private or semi private (in a publin hospital). I hear if there was to be any complications following birth Mt Carmel is very very expensive But my question is, in conjunction with the insurance company (I have mine with Aviva), what would be the difference Id have to pay the hospital following birth, between going private or semi private, would there be any big difference? Thanks ahead

Kasycas

Hi EmerBaggott,

Did you find the answers to your qu's?

Thanks!

EmerBaggott

Hi yes Aviva the insurance company am with seems to cover everything (well most anyway) when going private. I think the shared care scheme is good with mount carmel, so following everything I think I might have to pay approx 1,000 which seems reasonable