Medical card and private health insurance

obplayer

sleepyheadh wrote: »

Bye, and there are not. There is the correct way and the wrong way. Myriad is a number, would you say " I have seven of dogs"?

put a roof offer by head.

As I asked before, do you have a cold?
If not then when you can spell correctly it might be time to debate another person's grammar.

sleepyheadh

obplayer wrote: »

As I asked before, do you have a cold?
If not then when you can spell correctly it might be time to debate another person's grammar.

Yes that's incorrect. And I know it is.. Replace the b with a m and min pretty sure it will make sense

obplayer

Originally Posted by obplayer


So government assistance should only be given
if people are living at subsistence level? Anything above that is fend for
yourself?

sleepyheadh wrote: »

That's how it works at the moment

No it is not because fortunately we live in a civilized country.

sleepyheadh

obplayer wrote: »

No it is not because fortunately we live in a civilized country.

The way the system works at the moment is it is means tested. Therefore if you have an income above a certain point you don't get any benefits. Welcome to the civilised world

obplayer

sleepyheadh wrote: »

The way the system works at the moment is it is means tested. Therefore if you have an income above a certain point you don't get any benefits. Welcome to the civilised world

Yes but that 'certain point' is actually well above subsistence level, as it should be in a rich country. Going to bed now, nighty night.

Medusa22

I have both. My parents pay for my health insurance as I can't afford it but I have a disability so if I were to get rid of my health insurance I would never get it back. I'm admitted to hospital frequently and I have to be seen on a specialised ward so I'm always on a public ward.

In fact there isn't any real need for me to have the health insurance because regardless of what would happen to me I'd probably be treated on the specialised CF ward anyway.

My parents are just paranoid that I might need some other sort of treatment or if I need to have an operation then I can go privately if necessary. I'd never be able to afford all of my medications and visits to my GP without my medical card.

Gael23

Im the person referred to in the OP.
The reasons for still having private cover have been mentioned many times in this thread so I won't go back over it again.
My medical card isn't exactly discretionary although my medical history is one of the reasons I have it. My parents were paying private insurance for me since I was born and for years before I got the medical card.
I really only use it to see my GP and get my medicines. But if I had to pay to see him , I probably wouldn't go as often as I need to.
It can take up to a year to see a consultant through the public system whereas you have an appointment within 3 months max privately.
Its absolutely not down to getting a nice room in hospital. Some consultants only work form public hospitals and you are absolutely not guaranteed a private room but you will get admitted when you need to and not have to wait for an indefinite period.

Geuze

sleepyheadh wrote: »

The way the system works at the moment is it is means tested. Therefore if you have an income above a certain point you don't get any benefits. Welcome to the civilised world

This statement is incorrect.

Some social benefits are universal, e.g. Child Benefit.

Other are Social Insurance, based on PRSI contributions, e.g. Maternity Benefit, State Pension Contributory, etc.

Many benefits are not means-tested.

Medusa22

The healthcare system in Ireland is a joke and it does endanger peoples' lives. Being on the public or the private list can mean the difference between life and death. However, even with private healthcare the healthcare system is not adequate. Until the new CF unit was opened in St Vincent's Hospital people with Cystic Fibrosis were admitted onto respiratory wards with other patients and other CF patients. This led to cross infection issues, greatly reducing life expectancy in the republic of Ireland. There was a report in 2005 which highlighted this. In fact, the life expectancy was better in Northern Ireland, America, Australia and throughout the EU. It was all down to facilities.

There are still issues with the CUH in Cork but things have greatly improved in Dublin. There is also the case of Susie Long, a cancer patient who died most likely because she had to wait so long for tests to confirm that she had bowel cancer.

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=12417

https://www.cfireland.ie/pdf/Pollock_Report.pdf

Gael23

well the filth in some hospitals really puts CF patients in danger

mariaalice

There are people with both and they do tend to have on going conditions they will give up a lot to keep health insurance even if it is not strictly needed, they then to think of their health a lot and be interested in getting, tests scan's ect and they include the worried well.

323

InReality wrote: »

The medical card ( under current law ) should only be given to people on low incomes. So yer man must be lying to HSE about his income .

Think you are jumping to conclusions.

Many are prepared to make some sacrifices to ensure they have health coverage. Give up a holiday, the nights out, the pub, smokes or God forbid, even Sky.

I've one relative, in exactly the situation the OP mentioned, who would have died on a waiting list from cancer 10 years ago if they had been dependant on our healthcare system. Although now qualifies for a medical card, that insurance cover has to be maintained just in case.

Good lick to them.

ajones

I have a medical card that has been renewed recently due to my parents current situation. This was due to the fact that I was in college and was dependent on them at the time of the renewal. I no longer think I am eligible for the medical card as I am now working and receive health insurance from my company.

When I tried to contact the HSE to tell them I don't want the card they told me first of all that I might as well keep it until the next review date because it's been issued now, and then eventually when I got an email back (3 weeks after I contacted them) they said I need a review form. This review form just means you're applying for a medical card again but giving them you're new details. Why can't you just ask them to cancel it and it's done? I don't want to sign a form saying I am applying, I want to sign a form to say, "I don't need this anymore"

This worried me as I now actually have the opportunity to claim back money using my health insurance (I haven't used my medical card since I have received it) and I feel that I'm cheating the system. But they clearly don't seem to care once it's been issued in the first place.

af12

I have private health insurance and a medical card. Medical card covers my life saving treatment which would cost 5 grand a mont if I didn't have med card. My private health insurer won't cover this . Hence why I was given a medical card. On the other side I have health insurance the last 3 yrs because I know 100% I will need an operation and If my medical card is taken off me (which it has been threatened) well then I have no means to pay for operation or treatment. That's my reasoning for having med card and private health insurance.