HSF Insurance Plans

AvonEnniskerry

I am looking for feed back on HSF plans.. I am lookin to change from vhi one plus to hsf extra cover plan c. for the same money I can get maximum cover and have my husband and kids free... However I am trying to conceive and am not sure if there is a waiting time in the birthing insurance...

Let me know if you have had or are insured with hsf. i'd like to hear from you

finnteme

I have HSF via my employee, and im 100 % satisfied for it.
Got some health problems before christmas, and was admitted to the hospital etc, and my claim was handled within 5 working days etc. and was paid to my account 2 days later.

Dont know ab. the waiting period in your case, but for me everything has went smoothly those times i had to use it.

cookie1977

According to the HIA:
Q Do I have to serve a waiting period when I take out a health insurance cash plan for the first time?
If you are taking out a health insurance cash plan for the first time or have allowed your cover to lapse for more than 13 weeks, an insurer may apply a waiting period to claims.
Currently HSF apply waiting periods of 3 months for new conditions from the point of first registration. Maternity related claims cannot be made during the first 10 months of a HSF policy.

http://www.hia.ie/consumer-info/health-insurance-cash-plans.htm

Still might be worth ringing them to double check though

wmpdd3

I have it, I got it through work too. I did have private health ins. as well but I cancelled it and kept this.

In the few years I've had it, we've gone to consultants 5 or 6 times and gotten the money back with about a week. You dont skip the que as such, but you just get referred privately, pay the3 bill and get the money back, up to a certain amount, depending on how much you pay per month.

Its great for dental since the PRSI thing has ended.

Once I had an issue where I had a procedure done, the doctor wrote that he didnt know when the issue has arisen. They rang and said they would not pay as it looks like the issue the doctor fixed could have been there since childhood. It hadnt, I got the doctor to write that it could have not been there for more than 3 years and they paid out.

Be aware though you can either pay for just you or pay for you and you family. With the 'just you' plan you get 100% back of what you pay, but with the family one you get less back but cover everyone in the house for very little money.

NuMarvel

AvonEnniskerry wrote: »

I am looking for feed back on HSF plans.. I am lookin to change from vhi one plus to hsf extra cover plan c. for the same money I can get maximum cover and have my husband and kids free... However I am trying to conceive and am not sure if there is a waiting time in the birthing insurance...

Let me know if you have had or are insured with hsf. i'd like to hear from you

You may know this already, but just to be sure, the VHI plan and the HSF plan aren't similar products.

There is some overlap in benefits, but the HSF plan offers very little cover for treatment as a private patient in hospital. So that means you either have to wait as a public patient, or pay most of the costs yourself of being admitted as a private patient.

Not trying to scare you or muddy the waters or anything, but just making sure you're aware of the differences.

AvonEnniskerry

Thank you for all your responses. You have raised some interesting points such as having more cover on a one person plan than a family one...
I am just doing my research and it is good to hear the good and the bad...
It would be a policy that I would be interested in taking out instead of my VHI plan. which really is only very basic...but still costs me over €80 a month.. Then to add my partner on it would be €160 total... I am looking for more value for my money.. ie more cover...

wmpdd3

After VHI, I was with Quinn Credit Union Starter no excess, for the same amount of money, but much more cover. Maybe ask a broker to check this out for you.

After a major change in circumstances, we decided we could not pay for insurance anymore and switched to HSF for €39 per month.

Last year and the year before, I claimed back more than I paid in!

Also OP, check the pregnant forum here to see what extra costs you'd have to pay to go private or semi private with health insurance. When I had my baby I got a €600 birth grant and that was is. I went public.

The Soup Thief

NuMarvel wrote: »

You may know this already, but just to be sure, the VHI plan and the HSF plan aren't similar products.

There is some overlap in benefits, but the HSF plan offers very little cover for treatment as a private patient in hospital. So that means you either have to wait as a public patient, or pay most of the costs yourself of being admitted as a private patient.

Not trying to scare you or muddy the waters or anything, but just making sure you're aware of the differences.

Hi NuMarvel - can you clarify for me, you say you have to wait as a public patient. The major barrier to access to healthcare in the public system is first contact with a consultant, so these HSF plans still enable you to get timely access to them as an outpatient. Have I understood you correctly that it's elective admissions that are the downside? So if someone with an HSF plan plan needed a knee replacement they'd get help seeing an orthopaedic surgeon privately for an outpatient opinion, but then would have to join a public wait list for the inpatient surgery? Is that right?

I have no interest in private hospitals or private rooms in public hospitals. Would it make sense to get a very basic hospital inpatient plan with AVIVA or someone and supplement it with an HSF plan to reimburse you for any outpatient contacts you need? Gonna look into this

NuMarvel

The Soup Thief wrote: »

Hi NuMarvel - can you clarify for me, you say you have to wait as a private patient. The major barrier to access to healthcare in the public system is first contact with a consultant, so these HSF plans still enable you to get timely access to them as an outpatient. Have I understood you correctly that it's elective admissions that are the downside? So if someone with an HSF plan plan needed a knee replacement they'd get help seeing an orthopaedic surgeon privately for an outpatient opinion, but then would have to join a public wait list for the inpatient surgery? Is that right?

I have no interest in private hospitals or private rooms in public hospitals. Would it make sense to get a very basic hospital inpatient plan with AVIVA or someone and supplement it with an HSF plan to reimburse you for any outpatient contacts you need? Gonna look into this

That's what the guidelines from the Dept of Health say. A person seeing a consultant privately is allowed to switch back to the public system for the hospital admission*, but the guidelines say their place will be where they would have been if they saw the consultant on the public system. Of course, if the condition/illness is serious, then the doctor will admit you as necessary.

*Except for maternity. If you see a consultant privately for maternity, then you have to use the hospital's private or semi private rooms when being admitted. Assuming they're available.

Your idea of having a basic hospital plan combined with the HSF plan is worth looking into. I know you're not interested in cover for private hospitals, but they do usually have shorter waiting lists, especially when compared to public hospitals in the Dublin area. So when you're looking into the various plans, I'd suggest you go for the one that gives as broad a range of hospital cover as you can afford. Try to make sure it gives you at least partial cover in private hospitals if not full cover.

Something else to remember is that PAYE workers can claim 20% tax relief on some medical costs like GPs, casualty visits, consultants, and prescriptions. That will probably be phased out in a few years when/if universal health insurance comes in, but there's no sign of it going in the forseeable future and it might be sufficient for your needs.

Hope that gives you something to mull over and if I've confused you more, just shout. No, literally just shout. It's a great stress reliever .

AvonEnniskerry

The long waiting lists for public patients is exactly what would put me off hsf plans. I am not particularly pushed on private healthcare however the waiting lists are up to a quater of the length of the public.
However I had not thought of combining the 2 policies... Did not actually know it was possible.
But Surely you can not wait for your public consultant via the hsf so you use your private insurance to be seen quicker. Great. Now that consultant still has to refer you to a public hospital. Where if your reason for being there is serious you will have to be seen by the consultant that is going to operate, etc. Which means that seeing the private consultant is of no benefit to go through the public system. You will still have to wait to see the consultant that will be dealing with you. I would not be happy as a doctor treating a patient based on someone elses analysis....