health insurance-cheapest policys waste of money?

seefin

For years have been getting Quinn cheapest policy which only covers public hospitals and is really basic. Vaguely remember hearing on radio that these cheap policies are not worth money and you basically might as well be uninsured. Is the main benefit of having a policy that covers stay in private hospitals the fact that you have more luxury /private room etc or are people paying for a much better standard of care-more nurses,doctors etc. I could probably afford a few hundred euros more but if dont care about the surroundings,having private room etc, then cant see justification for paying more.only reason im paying is so that could skip queue to see consultant and havse tests if got sick. Am late 30s and good health( so far) . .

sohappy

seefin wrote: »

For years have been getting Quinn cheapest policy which only covers public hospitals and is really basic. Vaguely remember hearing on radio that these cheap policies are not worth money and you basically might as well be uninsured. Is the main benefit of having a policy that covers stay in private hospitals the fact that you have more luxury /private room etc or are people paying for a much better standard of care-more nurses,doctors etc. I could probably afford a few hundred euros more but if dont care about the surroundings,having private room etc, then cant see justification for paying more.only reason im paying is so that could skip queue to see consultant and havse tests if got sick. Am late 30s and good health( so far) . .

Im in the same boat, I can only afford to go with the cheapest policy, Im not concerned about if im put in a private room or a public ward,On the cheapest policys I understant that I will have to fork out cash if it comes time too see a consultant and thats ok For me its about access to consultants and fast treatement, So I have more or less the same question as the Op will my access to consultants and fast treatement be any different in a public or private hospital on the basic plans?

oldyouth

My understanding is that many of the consultants will only base themselves in the top hospitals. It's not about paying them, you might not get access to them if needed. I agree about the actual room, but if I need a top consultant, I want cover for the hospital where he works

sohappy

So am I correct in saying that a person with no insurance that might have to wait months to get a certain procedure done in a public hospital,a person with insurance in a public hospital gets the same procedure done much faster?

Vologda69

sohappy wrote: »

So am I correct in saying that a person with no insurance that might have to wait months to get a certain procedure done in a public hospital,a person with insurance in a public hospital gets the same procedure done much faster?

It depends how serious the condition is. My father had prostate cancer, and my uncle had lung cancer (both medical card patients). Both were operated on within 10days by specialist consultants. However an aunt with a bad hip had to wait 5 months. So if it's a minor procedure, then you will probably get an earlier appointment. But the idea that a person with health insurance will be seen before a patient with a serious illness is rubbish. I would rather use the public system and put all that money into a savings account or invest in a insurance policy with serious illness cover.

seefin

My question wasnt really regarding having private vs not, am more interested in which policy to buy. My understanding is even cheapest policies will get me seen by a consultant and procedures carried out quicker. Once diagnosed though, do the pricier policies give better guarantee of recovery eg by being treated in a private hospital will quality of care be better because maybe doctors dont work the long hours,there are more nurses or as previous poster pointed out, the better consultants base themselves in the private hospitals?

LostArt

sohappy wrote: »

So am I correct in saying that a person with no insurance that might have to wait months to get a certain procedure done in a public hospital,a person with insurance in a public hospital gets the same procedure done much faster?

Yes.

scudo2

seefin wrote: »

For years have been getting Quinn cheapest policy which only covers public hospitals and is really basic. Vaguely remember hearing on radio that these cheap policies are not worth money and you basically might as well be uninsured. Is the main benefit of having a policy that covers stay in private hospitals the fact that you have more luxury /private room etc or are people paying for a much better standard of care-more nurses,doctors etc. I could probably afford a few hundred euros more but if dont care about the surroundings,having private room etc, then cant see justification for paying more.only reason im paying is so that could skip queue to see consultant and havse tests if got sick. Am late 30s and good health( so far) . .

I'm with Quinn or what ever its called now.
Policy went up to €950. I rang them and asked for the cheapest policy which was about €450.
Girl on phone was very helpfull and told me the pit falls of cheap policy and recomended a policy for €550 that was almost as good as my old one.
(all figures aprox by the way)
Ring them, they were very helpfull. Saved me a packet.

oldyouth

scudo2 wrote: »

I'm with Quinn or what ever its called now.
Policy went up to €950. I rang them and asked for the cheapest policy which was about €450.
Girl on phone was very helpfull and told me the pit falls of cheap policy and recomended a policy for €550 that was almost as good as my old one.
(all figures aprox by the way)
Ring them, they were very helpfull. Saved me a packet.

I had the same conversation with them a couple of weeks ago and there is no way I was going to accept the level of cover on offer for the cheaper policy. Like I said before, it has nothing to do with the room (private/semi-private etc) it is down to having cover in the hospitals where the consultants base themselves. They will not visit the hospital in the arsehole of nowhere covered by the cheaper plans, that is why it is cheaper.

seefin

Cork university hospital is 5 minutes from me. Do the better consultants work in private hospitals as opposed to large hospitals like that? I know alot of them have private clinics attached to that hospital so maybe in my particular case this isnt an issue?

oldyouth wrote: »

I had the same conversation with them a couple of weeks ago and there is no way I was going to accept the level of cover on offer for the cheaper policy. Like I said before, it has nothing to do with the room (private/semi-private etc) it is down to having cover in the hospitals where the consultants base themselves. They will not visit the hospital in the arsehole of nowhere covered by the cheaper plans, that is why it is cheaper.

seefin

What were the pitfalls?even with the 550 policy id imagine youre only covered in public hospitals? What was benefit of 550 policy vs the 490 one? Ill ring them tomorrow but am curious now and have no self control

scudo2 wrote: »

I'm with Quinn or what ever its called now.
Policy went up to €950. I rang them and asked for the cheapest policy which was about €450.
Girl on phone was very helpfull and told me the pit falls of cheap policy and recomended a policy for €550 that was almost as good as my old one.
(all figures aprox by the way)
Ring them, they were very helpfull. Saved me a packet.

billyhead

I am in the same situation as the OP. I have the 1st plan starter insurance package with the VHI and was wondering is it even beneficial in anyway or hould I upgrade to take advantage of access to more and better consulatants if ever required. I am based in Dublin so when someone else mentioned that consultants in some hospitals would have to travel to the back arse of nowhere it would not apply in my case. As far as I know I would have access to a private room in a public hospital but my policy doe snot allow me access to the top private clinics in Dublin where some of the best consultants reside such as Blackrock and the Bon securs hospital. I am paying I think around 580 per year atm.

fiona-f

I think there are very few conditions where there would be a massively significant difference in the expertise of a consultant at a public hospital, even outside the main cities, and the most exclusive private clinics. I'd guess this narrows still further for conditions likely to affect a young person, almost by definition as very few 23 year olds will have the insurance cover for full private in the Blackrock clinic for example. I genuinely don't think working in a fully private hospital us any massive holy grail for consultants; depending on their expertise and patient profile then public and regional hospitals may well be preferable.

I got offered a cheaper policy with my insurer which excluded full coverage for a small number of conditions that affect older people such as hip replacement.

oldyouth

fiona-f wrote: »

I got offered a cheaper policy with my insurer which excluded full coverage for a small number of conditions that affect older people such as hip replacement.

That's a very valid point. However, when the time comes, you will have to serve a waiting period before you can upgrade your cover to include things not there at the minute and pre-existing illness exclusions may come in to play

scudo2

seefin wrote: »

What were the pitfalls?even with the 550 policy id imagine youre only coverhed in public hospitals? What was benefit of 550 policy vs the 490 one? Ill ring them tomorrow but am curious now and have no self control

On my polcy I'm covered for tests and scans.
€490 one I have to pay 50%
Not covered for Blackrock

oldyouth

The bottom line is that if one policy costs €950 and the other one €450, then the most frequent and costly incidents are not covered under the cheaper one.

Outkast_IRE

seefin wrote: »

Cork university hospital is 5 minutes from me. Do the better consultants work in private hospitals as opposed to large hospitals like that? I know alot of them have private clinics attached to that hospital so maybe in my particular case this isnt an issue?

In cork the Bons Secours is where you want covered, their level of care is much better than CUH, they have some of the best consultants based there.

LostArt

oldyouth wrote: »

The bottom line is that if one policy costs €950 and the other one €450, then the most frequent and costly incidents are not covered under the cheaper one.

Well this is just not correct at all.

The basic plans will restrict you to cover in public hospitals, there could be a longer waiting list for a private patient in a public hospital than a private hospital and the accomodation may not be as "good".

oldyouth

LostArt wrote: »

Well this is just not correct at all.

The basic plans will restrict you to cover in public hospitals, there could be a longer waiting list for a private patient in a public hospital than a private hospital and the accomodation may not be as "good".

I don't think accommodation has anything to do with it. There is no way Health Insurers are offering a policy at less than half the price of their mainstream one if it is down to sharing a room. It must exclude access to the top consultants and where they base themselves. I would welcome the opinion of a QFA on this point

seefin

oldyouth wrote: »

I don't think accommodation has anything to do with it. There is no way Health Insurers are offering a policy at less than half the price of their mainstream one if it is down to sharing a room. It must exclude access to the top consultants and where they base themselves. I would welcome the opinion of a QFA on this point

i finally rang laya today and asked why premium for private hospitals. He said that waiting lists are quicker in private hospital than waiting as private patient in a public hospital. Eg could be waiting a month as private patient in a public hospital. Didnt mention calibre of consultants though.

hfallada

My mother has health insurance because she has a bad back. When it gets unbearable she phone Vincent's private on a Monday and by Friday of the same week she is in surgery. She would have to wait about 5-6 month in the public system. She only has a semi private cover.

Have any of you considered plans that aren't openly advertised like vhi teacher or nurses. Anyone can buy them and they are cheaper than equivant plans but just the same

Outkast_IRE

hfallada wrote: »

Have any of you considered plans that aren't openly advertised like vhi teacher or nurses. Anyone can buy them and they are cheaper than equivant plans but just the same

Yes my parents are in the Laya company care plus plan, they aren't in any company they found it via http://www.hia.ie/ .

Laya themselves had no problem selling us this plan, but you would notice if you rang them its not going to be one of the first policies they recommend, they will recommend the standard policies first.

They were on VHI plan b no excess, was costing them over €3000 euros but the big kick in the teeth was needing to spend over €800 euros on consultant fees each year before claiming it back.

The laya company care plus no excess plan was €2400 , has the same level of cover and it overs 50% back on consultants fees with €1 excess. It also pays back 50% of dentists and loads of other treatments.

Elessar

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Yes my parents are in the Laya company care plus plan, they aren't in any company they found it via http://www.hia.ie/ .

Laya themselves had no problem selling us this plan, but you would notice if you rang them its not going to be one of the first policies they recommend, they will recommend the standard policies first.

They were on VHI plan b no excess, was costing them over €3000 euros but the big kick in the teeth was needing to spend over €800 euros on consultant fees each year before claiming it back.

The laya company care plus no excess plan was €2400 , has the same level of cover and it overs 50% back on consultants fees with €1 excess. It also pays back 50% of dentists and loads of other treatments.

I am on this exact same cover. Costs me I think between 900-1000 for the year. Dear but much cheaper than their standard plans. Private hospital cover is great, you get all the benefits of a company scheme and it's 50-75% back on GP visits, consultants fees, chiropodists etc.

The moral of the story is check the company plan cover before you buy! You'll save a fortune.

rebeve

scudo2 wrote: »

On my polcy I'm covered for tests and scans.
€490 one I have to pay 50%
Not covered for Blackrock

What policy is that ?

dnme

I was on VHI basic starter plan and only covered for public hospitals. I was scheduled for a neck operation back in June at a well known public hospital in Galway. I arranged 2 months off work (that's the recovery time for this particular op). Work went and hired a contractor to replace me. I made all sorts of arrangements in my life to accommodate the whole thing.

The day before the procedure, the hospital cancelled !!! and..... they didn't even tell me. I only found out after a full day trying to phone them to confirm everythhig was ok.

So lesson learned. I'm now on a full company policy where we have a no waiting clause, and as I type, I'm sitting in a beautiful room in the Bons ( I was admitted this morning) and I'm being treated so well. Surgery at 7:30am in the morning.

Private hospital dates are pretty firm. Public hospital dates are moved around willy nilly. if you need speed and reliability, bump up the policy if you can. The consultant will have far more control over bed scheduling in private hospitals than public where they and you are at the mercy of sheer madness in my experience.