Health Insurance & Chiropractor Question

PCros

Hi,

I have been seeing a chiro for about a year now and currently I am looking at getting insurance from a VHI that includes cover for this, something my last plan with Aviva didn’t cover.

Will I be able to claim or is it pre existing condition?

Many thanks

NuMarvel

VHI don't apply the pre-existing waiting period to the day to day cover, so that won't make any difference to how the claim is assessed. However, because the VHI plan offers extra cover (i.e. for chiropractors) that your previous plan didn't have, they may apply a waiting period on that additional cover. I say may, because the wording in the VHI book isn't very clear. I think your best bet is to ring them or email them to be completely sure.

Oral Surgeon

PCros wrote: »

Hi,

I have been seeing a chiro for about a year now and currently I am looking at getting insurance from a VHI that includes cover for this, something my last plan with Aviva didn’t cover.

Will I be able to claim or is it pre existing condition?

Many thanks

My understanding is that you can change provider (so long as there is no lapse in the policy) and all conditions and diseases continue to be covered. What you are describing is a little different- you are effectively going up in the specification of a policy in the knowledge that you have a condition.

How long are you insured in total with no lapse in cover (any provider)? How long are you aware of the Chiro issue?

Most insurers have a lead in time of 6 months before you are covered for procedures with a new policy and no previous cover. (not you)

If you are changing provider and have been insured for a particular condition, this continues for the new plan.... (not you)

If you are upgrading the spec of a plan to include a condition (such as yours), most insurers have a lead in period where this new upgraded part of the plan is not availabe to you initally...

For example;
You are on lower plan x and change to a higher plan y (that includes chiro), and find out the next day that you need this chiro treatment- you must wait their specified time before being covered.
But
If you are on lower plan x and change to a higher plan y (that includes chiro), and you already know that you need this chiro treatment and only became aware of this need for treatment when covered by plan x- you must again wait their specified time before being covered.
And
If you are on lower plan x and change to a higher plan y (that includes chiro), and you already know that you need this chiro treatment and became aware of this need for treatment before you were covered by plan x- this is a effectively a new condition and subject to a longer wait.

Best to ask the new insurer what the wait is...
Good luck
OS

okiss

I would look at Quinn if you are going to move health insurance.
They have a number of policies with a €1 euro excess and will pay a % back of each cost after this ie 50% or 75% cost of each visit.
Some of the vhi policies have a high excess of ie €150 - they allow you €20 per doctor visit so you have to make 8 visits by €20 to claim anything back.
I would look up the hia.ie website and put in that you are looking for a policy with day to day cover with a low excess.
I would ring quinn and explain to them what you are looking for and see how long you would have to wait before claiming chiropractor expenses.
For you present chiropractor expenses you maybe able to claim on the med one form for some of these costs back.

broker2008

How much do you pay for the chiropractor ? Aviva do cover but not on the plan that you were on. If you have massive number of visits, Quinn would be a better option as they have unlimited visits up to an overall outpatient maximum. If you were going say no more than 10 or 12 times and depending on the cost, Aviva can pay out on the whole bill ! You also need to look at the inpatient hospital cover that you have. If you dont want any access or very limited access to high tech hospitals some Quinn plans might suit. None of the 3 insurers will impose a waiting period for this day 2 day cover. If you have a company scheme with VHI, they probably wont let you change plan to incorporate chiro cover. A day2 day paln on its own can be bought from VHI, Aviva or HSF.

Bakemate

If you switch plans to gain higher outpatient benefits, waiting periods will be applied depending on your age. Quinn Healthcare do not currently apply upgrade waiting periods on higher outpatient benefits, regardless of age. Aviva Health will not apply them if you're under 55 and Vhi won't apply them if you're under 50.

You can see the full list of waiting periods as applied in all upgrade situations (inpatient and outpatient) on the HIA website here

http://www.hia.ie/consumer-info/faqs.htm

It's under the question, "Can I change my insurer or change/upgrade my health insurance plan at my renewal date".

If you would like to compare health insurance plans, the HIA website aslo has a plan comparison tool of every plan on the market at www.healthinsurancecomparison.ie or you can ring them if you get stuck.

broker2008

Yes you are right bakemate, Quinn is best option for day2day cover if over 55 and don't want a waiting period for the cover.