Cheaper v more expensive health insurance plans?

Freiheit

Is there a great deal of difference? They all cover cardiac procedures,cancer treatment and claim to offer access to consultants,if G.P. visits or Mental Health care isn't an issue,would there be much to loose by dropping to a basic plan?.
Happy new year
F

nudger

Found Quinn to be the best for me, have you done the company care plan it's a lot cheaper. Last year on a family plan I saved €900 by asking for the company option.

tenchi-fan

If you're young and in good health, pick a cheap and basic plan. Might be worth getting a medical (few tests, like blood pressure) before dropping to a cheaper plan as once you do, there will be an exclusion period before changing back.

If you're older or in poor health, pick a more expensive plan.

Chances are if you're in hospital you'll end up in a public bed anyway.

broker2008

There is a waiting period for upping your cover with VHI whether you have anything wrong with you or not as from 1st Jan. There is only an upgrade waiting period with Aviva or Quinn only if you have a pre existing condition before the upgrade..

_AVALANCHE_

HIA, just incase you don't know about it.

BostonB

tenchi-fan wrote: »

...Chances are if you're in hospital you'll end up in a public bed anyway.

+1

Getting the hospital to explain how they bill people, is another challenge.

broker2008

Hospitals can charge in different ways. Some will charge a package cost eg hip replacement €10,000irrespective of complications and how long you stay in the hospital. Others will have a breakdown; procedure cost, accommodation cost and fee for the surgeon. Some health plans will pay for everything with no cost to you, some will have a once off excess, some will have a nightly excess and the plans can then be priced accordingly. That is why recent announcements in the budget in relation to health insurers having to pay the full economic cost for private patients in public beds could have a huge upward effect on prices of already rising plans. My sister in law's father was in Blanch last month and the presssure on the public system was plain to see.

BostonB

You should be billed for what you get.

The reality is you'll be billed for what you can pay. So if get treated as a public patient, but have private insurance, you'll be billed privately. They will also bill much more for exactly the same thing privately than public.

broker2008

Sorry I didn't make it clear, it is private health insurance I was talking about. Private patients in a public hospital currently pay for accommodation only and not in all instances.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1208/1224308743846.html

A public patient pays nothing if they have a medical card or €75 per night upto a max of €750 in a year.

BostonB

Hard to know what your billed for in my experience you don't get a breakdown, and requests for a breakdown are ignored.

broker2008

The insurance company sends out a copy of all bills paid. Some hospitals are slower than others and the same for consultants. I have seen bills issued 10 months after the procedure was carried out in a public hospital and within a week with a private hospital.

Freiheit

The health comparison website doesn't include aviva me/we plan level 2.

Have decided that I'm either going for slightly more expensive plan that is likely to yield me some return or else a basic one. I'm no longer prepared to pay large sums with nothing coming back. Likely I'll go to Quinn,although by Fegrurary,when my Aviva policy expires,Quinn will probably have gone up.:(

broker2008

Me and We level 2 are no longer available, the closest alternative is Hospital Level 2. Also look at Level 2 Family Health and Business Plan Choice.

Quinn's prices went up yesterday !