Do I need health insurance?

JackieChang

I just turned 31 and realized I've never been to a hospital before or to a doctors for anything more serious than a phlegmy cough. I consider myself very fit and healthy and I plan to live until I'm about 150.

Then again everybody around me is starting to get health insurance or already has it. Some of them think I'm crazy for not having it.

Do any of you have health insurance and have you ever benefited from it before? Is it worth it? Would I be OK relying on the HSE for the rest of my life or is that a death sentence?

I'd love to hear some first hand accounts of injuries etc. on private healthcare vs public.

me_irl

Better to be safe than sorry.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

It's a game of two halves.

Arghus

As long as you never, ever have anything physically wrong with you I'd say you'd be grand!

Jack the Stripper

Arghus wrote: »

As long as you never, ever have anything physically wrong with you I'd say you'd be grand!

Can you guarantee that Joseph?

JackieChang

Arghus wrote: »

As long as you never, ever have anything physically wrong with you I'd say you'd be grand!

That's what I want to know though. If I get sick or injured (car crash, cancer, AIDS, whatever) and I don't have health insurance, am I screwed?

Glenster

statistically, no.

Lifetime community rating is a scheme to scare you into buying insurance now so that it subsidises old people who, without you paying insurance but never going to hospital, would have to pay through the nose.

insurance is only for a nicer room and skipping the queue for elective surgery.

me_irl

JackieChang wrote: »

That's what I want to know though. If I get sick or injured (car crash, cancer, AIDS, whatever) and I don't have health insurance, and I screwed?

That's one way of getting AIDS, sure.

What about necrotising fasciitis? Or SARS? Or CJD?

Glenster

JackieChang wrote: »

That's what I want to know though. If I get sick or injured (car crash, cancer, AIDS, whatever) and I don't have health insurance, and I screwed?

No. If you need urgent, non-ortho care, you'll be fine.

80s Child

Glenster wrote: »

statistically, no.

Lifetime community rating is a scheme to scare you into buying insurance now so that it subsidises old people who, without you paying insurance but never going to hospital, would have to pay through the nose.

insurance is only for a nicer room and skipping the queue for elective surgery.

And for paying for surgery!

If you play sport, get health insurance. The GAA insurance for example, will only cover the excess not paid by your own insurance. It's a disgrace!

Glenster

80s Child wrote: »

And for paying for surgery!

If you play sport, get health insurance. The GAA insurance for example, will only cover the excess not paid by your own insurance. It's a disgrace!

I was just saying, mathematically its not worth getting insurance until you're approx 45-50.

Its not like in the US where you could get hit with a 100 thousand dollar bill.

you could pay €750 in a year for hospital stays if you're uninsured. And thats if youre in hospital for 300 days or something.

oneilla

Go on the dole get a medical card, free house, free car, loads of free money and never worry again. Don't you read boards.ie? :rolleyes:

enfant terrible

Glenster wrote: »

I was just saying, mathematically its not worth getting insurance until you're approx 45-50.

Its not like in the US where you could get hit with a 100 thousand dollar bill.

you could pay €750 in a year for hospital stays if you're uninsured. And thats if youre in hospital for 300 days or something.

Would serious illness protection be a better investment then?

Larbre34

Glenster wrote: »

insurance is only for a nicer room and skipping the queue for elective surgery.

By about 24 months. Its not like every elective is something a person can live with pain free until their number comes up, so to speak.

Both my parents had insurance cover since early in their marriage and only in recent years did it come into its own when they needed cancer and cardiac care respectively. Yes, they would have been treated in the public system, but the speed, comfort, environment, tech level, even the food quality difference that made their treatment easier to deal with was frankly priceless.

Im 39yrs old, theres a cancer gene in my family so i use my health insurance for annual screening in a private hospital, i can get a scope referral in 3 weeks every time.

Now, feel free to take the risk in our post code lottery precarious public system, but honestly I would live on beans and toast sooner than give up my health insurance. Its 70 quid a month, two rounds of beers when you think about it...

enfant terrible

sugarman wrote: »

YES!

Im late 20s and was never sick in my life until the end of last year, at most a cold once a year ...without going into it all I was diagnosed with 2 very serious untreatable life long illnesses.

I reckon ive spent over €2k in past 3 months being seen to because I had no health insurance and now I cant get cover, or at least any thats worth it due to my now existing diagnosis.

My thinking was id never need it, waste of money. If I do get sick the money I saved will cover it... Except when youve spent that money and its a lifelong illness ill have to brunt the costs of for 50+ years.

Just to add: If you were to go public, id still be 2 months waiting on the MRI I got 3 moths ago that diagnosed my illness. Then a futher 6-12 months before getting into the clinic to see consultants. So almost an entire year later, I could drop dead before then.

Will you be covered for your pre existing condition after five years?

Glenster

Larbre34 wrote: »

By about 24 months. Its not like every elective is something a person can live with pain free until their number comes up, so to speak.

Both my parents had insurance cover since early in their marriage and only in recent years did it come into its own when they needed cancer and cardiac care respectively. Yes, they would have been treated in the public system, but the speed, comfort, environment, tech level, even the food quality difference that made their treatment easier to deal with was frankly priceless.

Im 39yrs old, theres a cancer gene in my family so i use my health insurance for annual screening in a private hospital, i can get a scope referral in 3 weeks every time.

Now, feel free to take the risk in our post code lottery precarious public system, but honestly I would live on beans and toast sooner than give up my health insurance. Its 70 quid a month, two rounds of beers when you think about it...

That seems like overkill...

ash23

sugarman wrote: »

Ill never be covered for it now, or very limited cover at an extortionate rate.

Its like trying to get house/content insurance after its already been damaged.

You'll be quoted and won't be loaded. You'll have a five year waiting period before you'll be covered for a pre existing condition though


http://www.hia.ie/consumer-information/waiting-periods/new-customer-waiting-periods

One eyed Jack

JackieChang wrote: »

I just turned 31 and realized I've never been to a hospital before or to a doctors for anything more serious than a phlegmy cough. I consider myself very fit and healthy and I plan to live until I'm about 150.

Then again everybody around me is starting to get health insurance or already has it. Some of them think I'm crazy for not having it.

Do any of you have health insurance and have you ever benefited from it before? Is it worth it? Would I be OK relying on the HSE for the rest of my life or is that a death sentence?

I'd love to hear some first hand accounts of injuries etc. on private healthcare vs public.

I don't think you're crazy for not having it, I can understand why you feel you'll never need it, I know plenty of people who say they can't afford it (health insurance nor pension), but honestly, if you can afford it, or if there's a group scheme offered by your employer, I'd suggest taking them up on it.

Before I had health insurance, it cost me €8k for a hip operation. I've had health insurance ever since and it's definitely saved me more than it's cost me as I have my wife and child covered under my policy (which my employer pays for so it doesn't cost me anything now).

whoopsadoodles

You don't need it - until you need it.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Shenshen

JackieChang wrote: »

I just turned 31 and realized I've never been to a hospital before or to a doctors for anything more serious than a phlegmy cough. I consider myself very fit and healthy and I plan to live until I'm about 150.

Then again everybody around me is starting to get health insurance or already has it. Some of them think I'm crazy for not having it.

Do any of you have health insurance and have you ever benefited from it before? Is it worth it? Would I be OK relying on the HSE for the rest of my life or is that a death sentence?

I'd love to hear some first hand accounts of injuries etc. on private healthcare vs public.

Not for myself, I've had few enough occasions to actually use it.

However, my husband did, and does. He's fit and lives healthy (doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, has not been eating meat since his late teens), yet found himself having kidney stones in his mid-30s. He had a heart attack in his mid-40s, was diagnosed as glucose-intolerant (basically pre-diabetic), and recently was hospitalised with a bad skin infection.

Yes, by living healthy you can reduce your risk of illness, but that doesn't mean they won't catch you out anyway. And you never know when that might happen.
So personally, I wouldn't be without health insurance.

whoopsadoodles

I've had it since I was 19 I think. For the last maybe 4 or 5 years I've paid for it myself. I have a hospital policy and a day to day expenses policy. It's expensive, but it comes straight out of my wages so I've never noticed it gone.

I had to have surgery this year. I had a number of GP appointments leading up to it but when all other avenues had been exhausted, I was referred for a scan. I had a scan in a private hospital the following day. I had a date for surgery within two weeks. I didn't have to pay a single penny for the surgery and for the scan/pathology tests/gp visits/consultant visits - while I did have to pay up front and claim back - I will have all of those fees returned to me within the next 10 days.

If I had been going public, because my issue wasn't actually immediately life threatening, I would probably be waiting > a year for the scan and longer then for the surgery. I would have been in regular agonising pain for all that time.

I am also fit and healthy.

Now there is always the argument that if you can pay for the tests and consultants fees separately instead, but still if you need procedures/tests/surgeries and have to go privately for them it will run into huge costs and you won't be in a position then to get health insurance to cover an already existing condition.

Not everyone can afford it, and I don't take it for granted that I can, but I've had it so long that I would give up a lot of other things before I gave that up.

fizzypish

If you can afford it then get it. I spend a week or so in hospital some moons ago. I may be wrong but I believe it was 600 euros a night. That doesn't include any procedures. Medical stuff is crazy expensive. Also if you need something done quick, with insurance you can force a bit of haste and wont be left waiting while tissue/nerves/whatever is dieing.

Winterlong

I have had it this last 20 years or so. Luckily I have never needed it - never made a claim. But that day is coming. No way would I be leaving myself open to the 'care' on the public system.

fiachr_a

If you get bitten by a deadly spider in Ireland health insurance can't save you.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

I've had private health insurance since I was a child. I will never be without it. I didn't need it for years. And then I injured myself playing rugby, and that has had a knock on effective and I've now had 4 surgeries and 3 injections on one leg. And currently waiting on another surgery. All paid for by the VHI.
As others have said, you will be scanned/tested and treated much quicker than the public health system.

Aye Bosun

I was in the same boat as you OP, 31 years of age, healthy, never been to hospital and rarely needed GP care. Then out of the blue I got diagnosed with spinal cord tumour and needed surgery to remove it . As I was an emergency case at the time I flew though the public system and had access to the same tests, surgeons, consultants and hospitals as a private patient but I was on a public ward for my stay in hospital as to opposed to private patient who might be in a semi private or private room (this of course is not guaranteed, it's subject to room availability).

So up to this point it made no difference if I had health insurance or not, but that rosie situation didn't last too long. After surgery I need extensive physio, walking aids, leg brace, drugs, gp and consultant visits, the list goes on, all of which are extremely expensive. Waiting times for consultant and physio appointment were madness though the public system too.

I then found myself in the situation of having a pre existing illness and wanting to get health insurance to make sure when the tumour grows again (it was only a matter of time) I was is a better situation to manage it financially. Here's were is gets interesting, with a pre existing illness all health insurance providers require you to have health insurance for 5 years before they will cover that illness. I signed up to a basic health plan so as to get ball rolling on the 5 year waiting period. Unfortunately 3 years into that waiting period I required more surgery on the tumour. This time around I wasn't so lucky and as a result of the surgery have a non traumatic spinal cord injury and still no health insurance. As I'm sure you can imagine the follow up care and treatment to get me back on my feet and as independent as possible was not cheap!

So to answer your question..should I get Health Insurance as a healthy 31 year old?

YES YES YES, please do yourself and family a favour and invest in it. I know from first hand experience how difficult it was without insurance and how much of strain it took on me and my family financially. Honestly when you are sick the last thing you need to be worried about it money and can you afford the treatment.

Aye Bosun

sugarman wrote: »

Ill never be covered for it now, or very limited cover at an extortionate rate.

Its like trying to get house/content insurance after its already been damaged.

That is not the case, you must have insurance for 5 years before they will cover a pre exist illness but they cannot discriminate against you financially for that.

Macca07

I've had health insurance since I was 12 years of age, thankfully.
Closed heart surgery at 14. MS at 29.
Thankfully I get mine through my employer so only pay BIK on it.
Let's just say this has been paid for 10 times over at this stage.

Aye Bosun

sugarman wrote: »

Ill never be covered for it now, or very limited cover at an extortionate rate.

Its like trying to get house/content insurance after its already been damaged.

That is not the case, you must have insurance for 5 years before they will cover a pre exist illness but they cannot discriminate against you financially for that.

muddypaws

I didn't bother with it, ended up in hospital for 4 nights, and had to have 4 minor surgical procedures during that stay. It was €100 to go to A & E initially, then the bill for the hospital stay was just over €200, so I decided not to bother with it. However, when the rules changed a couple of years ago, and due my age, I decided it was probably best to get it. I haven't had to use it yet, but don't miss the money going out of my account each month. However, I was very surprised when I did go to the GP after taking out the insurance, to realise that I didn't have to pay for the resulting hospital tests that she sent me for, I was waiting for an insurance bill for ages. If you get referred by a GP, hospital treatment is free, I guess I was very lucky though that it all happened so quickly, the hospital appointment was only a couple of weeks after I saw the GP.

Macca07

muddypaws wrote: »

I didn't bother with it, ended up in hospital for 4 nights, and had to have 4 minor surgical procedures during that stay. It was €100 to go to A & E initially, then the bill for the hospital stay was just over €200, so I decided not to bother with it. However, when the rules changed a couple of years ago, and due my age, I decided it was probably best to get it. I haven't had to use it yet, but don't miss the money going out of my account each month. However, I was very surprised when I did go to the GP after taking out the insurance, to realise that I didn't have to pay for the resulting hospital tests that she sent me for, I was waiting for an insurance bill for ages. If you get referred by a GP, hospital treatment is free, I guess I was very lucky though that it all happened so quickly, the hospital appointment was only a couple of weeks after I saw the GP.

Yes, GP referral ensures you're A&E treatment is free. May cost you €50 for your GP, but cheaper than A&E. And you can claim 50% back on the GP cosr on your health insurance too.

Definitely worth having HI.

Larbre34

Glenster wrote: »

That seems like overkill...

Is that an educated opinion?

I'll give you the number of the genetics clinic and my consultant, you can debate it with them.

ScumLord

Insurance is one of those things you don't need, until you do. Now that you're in your thirties it's all downhill from here too.

If you can afford it to pay for surgerys up front, no you won't need it. They could cost multiple of thousands though.

The two tier health service is a serious joke. Basically if you've no money and no private health care your life expectancy is probably lower. No data on that but it's probable I'd imagine.

titan18

Macca07 wrote: »

Yes, GP referral ensures you're A&E treatment is free. May cost you €50 for your GP, but cheaper than A&E. And you can claim 50% back on the GP cosr on your health insurance too.

Definitely worth having HI.

Depends on the cover you get, not every plan would have money back on GP visits

madwifebecks

If you can afford it definitely go for private health insurance. I work in the HSE and have health insurance. I too am young and healthy but you never know what's around the corner (sorry don't mean to sound so pessimistic!! ) but wouldn't rely on the public system at all. Waiting lists are ridiculous and that's just one example.

FrStone

Glenster wrote: »

I was just saying, mathematically its not worth getting insurance until you're approx 45-50.

Its not like in the US where you could get hit with a 100 thousand dollar bill.

you could pay €750 in a year for hospital stays if you're uninsured. And thats if youre in hospital for 300 days or something.

You honestly haven't a notion!

First off the €750 charge is for 10 nights not 300. After 10 nights a year, you won't be charged anymore than €750 though.

You never know when you will get sick. The fact that you have health insurance means you will be diagnosed quicker and you can jump certain queues. God help you if you ever need an endoscopy on the public system. - Remember Susie Long?

The price of health insurance is a small price to put on your health.

enfant terrible

madwifebecks wrote: »

If you can afford it definitely go for private health insurance. I work in the HSE and have health insurance. I too am young and healthy but you never know what's around the corner (sorry don't mean to sound so pessimistic!! ) but wouldn't rely on the public system at all. Waiting lists are ridiculous and that's just one example.

Is it true you can pay for your scans privately and skip the public waiting lists?

Is it true most scans are a between 200-300 euro?

Thanks

_Whimsical_

Get it!
Last year mine cost me 1000 euro and paid for 2000 of care for me.

I managed to have two cancer scares last year. The difference health insurance made to the situation was enormous.

In one instance I went to my gp with something he thought very suspicious, he rang the hospital in front of me to see a surgeon ASAP and was told it would be 3 to 6 weeks depending on whether they could get me in before Christmas in the public system even after he insisted it was very urgent. Then I told him I had insurance and he rang the same surgeons private office. He saw me first thing next morning and had arranged scans and biopsy for me minutes later down the hall from his office in the private hospital.

Thankfully it was all OK but I don't know how I'd have born a 6 week wait to find out. It was worth the 1000 euro just so that awfulness was not dragged out more than 24 hrs but it would also have saved my life had there been something wrong.

A few weeks after I had another scare. Again insurance meant I got seen immediately. This time I had scans, ultrasound and bloods. I was told the blood test was so rare and expensive that in the public system they wait until they have several samples sent in and batch test them so I could be waiting 3 weeks for results. Instead in the private system blood was couriered away in the morning and results were back in the evening.

I would go without holidays or extras to pay for insurance. Id never be without it now, no matter what I would have to sacrifice for it. You're saving yourself more than money with it potentialyl, youre quite possibly saving your life and likely saving your sanity if you have a big scare that requires waiting around for tests and appointments.

mad muffin

I'm damn glad I have health insurance after my recent fall. Last November I fell and destroyed my shoulder. Tore my subscapularis tendon completely and dislocated the long tendon of the bicep.

Without health insurance I'd probably still be waiting for surgery. I had A&E visits, X-rays, MRI's visits with the consultant, surgery and hospital stay, and didn't have to pay for any of it, as I've already payed by having health insurance.

Also two weeks after seeing the consultant I was having shoulder surgery. Now physio is all taken care of as well.

If you can afford health cover get it.

callaway92

Luckily for me, work pay for my VHI in full, so that's a pretty nice incentive to have.

I haven't used the doctor/hospital since I started yet but it's nice knowing I have it.

aaronjumper

Depends on how nervous not having it makes you.
I've gone without it for roughly 5-6 years (maybe longer) and only had to go to the hospital once in that time.

Corruptedmorals

I wouldn't be without health insurance. I work in the HSE and know exactly how bad the various waiting lists for appointments, tests, scans and surgery are. The fairly recent RTE prime time on waiting in pain illustrated this perfectly.

CoolHandBandit

oneilla wrote: »

Go on the dole get a medical card, free house, free car, loads of free money and never worry again. Don't you read boards.ie? :rolleyes:

You'd think Boards would organize a march or something

They could call it the anti single mothers, anti welfare, anti social housing march or something.

Brego888

I've never had it and don't intend on getting it. I'm in my early 30's.

Quackster

enfant terrible wrote: »

Is it true you can pay for your scans privately and skip the public waiting lists?

Is it true most scans are a between 200-300 euro?

Thanks

You can get a scan privately for a few hundred but you can't use that to skip the public queue.

Get a scan privately and it shows up something, you then have to have follow-up consultations/treatment privately.

If you don't want to pay more to stay in the private system, you'd then have to get the same scan done again publicly and you'd be right back at the back of the queue.

Beyondgone

If you don't have one of the higher-spec Corporate level Plans, you're going into the same ward as the non-insured patients, seeing the same surgeon, in the same timeframe. You'll be left scratching your head as to what your "Private Health Insurance Plan" actually got you. The HSE will be billing your insurer like a good lad all the time, but you'll be like a Ryanair "Priority" passenger in a scrum with the plebs when the person checking Boarding cards didn't take the memo seriously.

You're probably better off committing a medium-level Jail-Time crime if you have a long term illness. As a Convict, you'll jump all the queues. You'll even get paid company who will stay with you through it all. Robbing the local Bank ought to do it.

Paid in most of my adult life and was fifty before I made my first claim, now I only got it first because it was offered at a discount in work, nobody plans to get ill. There must be a fair amount of people who pay in all there lives and never make a claim.

Beyondgone

Beyondgone wrote: »

If you don't have one of the higher-spec Corporate level Plans, you're going into the same ward as the non-insured patients, seeing the same surgeon, in the same timeframe. You'll be left scratching your head as to what your "Private Health Insurance Plan" actually got you. The HSE will be billing your insurer like a good lad all the time, but you'll be like a Ryanair "Priority" passenger in a scrum with the plebs when the person checking Boarding cards didn't take the memo seriously.

You're probably better off committing a medium-level Jail-Time crime if you have a long term illness. As a Convict, you'll jump all the queues. You'll even get paid company who will stay with you through it all. Robbing the local Bank ought to do it.

That not true I have a fairly average policy and have treatment of the same condition both public and private, and while the consultants work in both the public and private practice( are there any consultants who only work in private practice ) in the private services there is no waiting around and an en suit private or semi private room beats a ward any day.

Rumpy Pumpy

Might be in the minority here, but think the health service is not in too bad a shape. We've the same challenges as every country - people not dying within the first two years, and then living to great ages - due in some part to advances in medicine.

In an ideal Ireland we'd have about 9 hospitals. Primary care clinics in larger towns. GP service feeding into that. Push the generalist intelligence out to the edge instead of centralising.

All very unachievable in the short-term though. Remember when the decision was made to close the A&E in Roscommon? TD's resigned and Enda was booed at a football match. In reality; anyone looking for more than a minor procedure would be better off heading to a proper hospital.

Lia_lia

I have had it for the past few years through work. They pay €1500 each for myself and my boyfriend. I do pay BIK on it of course. Not sure if I'd get it privately. I've never needed to use it really except for the usual doctors visits. But then again you never know when you might need it.

I never had it growing up. We did have a medical card sometimes, depending on how much my Mother was making at the time. Only time I was ever in hospital was when I was 15 with a dislocated kneecap and was in A+E for about 12 hours. That wouldn't have made any difference if I had health insurance or not. The only time it would have come in useful was when I got my wisdom teeth out. It's free with most health insurance plans as far as I'm aware. Cost me about €300 when I was a 20 year old student, so broke the bank a bit!