health insurance - private bed changes

taffyl

Does anyone know/understand what is going to happen with public hospitals now charging private patients who are treated in a "public" ward the same amount as those who are treated in a private room? Is it true or just a rumour that private beds are to be phased out of the public hospitals and if this is true where does this leave people who only have cover for public hospitals? Does this mean people with health insurance need full cover for private hospitals?
Am also wondering if your insurance company is charged the same price for an inpatient stay in a public hospital regardless of whether you are in a private/semi - private room/public ward then is there actually any benefit in having a higher level of cover to theoretically be treated in a private room?
Any clarification appreciated - you would need a degree to wade through the bumpf...

Bakemate

I don't think there's been any further clarification on charging private patients for public ward beds. Insurers do get charged different amounts for semi-private rooms as opposed to private rooms in private hospitals but they do not release these figures as it is commercially sensitive. However, if it's a public hospital you can Google the prices. For 2012, it should be €1008 for a semi-private room in a public hospital and €1121 for a private room in a public hospital. I've heard private rooms can be hard to come by in public hospitals and you will only get one if it's available at the time, regardless of whether your insurance covers it.

If your plan covers you for private hospitals, it usually covers private rooms in public hospitals anyway. If you're only on public hospital cover, it really is a personal decision whether or not to have private room cover.