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.