Ever increasing health insurance costs!

cormie

Hey folks,
I got my renewal for health insurance for a policy renewing in June and it's gone up again, it's almost double what it was since I joined in 2012 and has been increasing bit by bit over the years:

12/13 - 832.37
13/14 - 1050.05
14/15 - 1336.27
15/16 - 1336.27
16/17 - 1388.71
17/18 - 1501.29

It seems the law in Ireland is to offer community pricing, meaning somebody who maintains a healthy diet and lifestyle will be paying the same as someone who eats high processed junk and animal foods, smokes, drinks and lives a sedentary lifestyle which is kinda crazy.

Is it possible to get insured outside of Ireland? One friend I know from a Mid/East EU country pays a ridiculously cheap price (like less than ?100) to be covered outside of the country, as long as they return home every so often.

Are there any other options out there that would assess health and charge based on this?

Any feedback would be great

dennyk

Community pricing is the only way to keep costs at a reasonable level for all participants. If healthy people aren't paying as much into the system, then the cost of insurance for people who need to avail of it (regardless of the reason; marathon runners can get cancer too, you know) would be prohibitively high, leaving those people unable to afford health care at all. (Do you want the US healthcare system? Because that's how you get the US healthcare system...)

Travel medical insurance usually can't be used in your country of residence, and you usually have to be a resident of a country in order to obtain a travel medical insurance policy there. They also generally do not cover any pre-existing conditions at all, and their coverage for any type of new chronic condition will likely be limited to stabilizing you for transport if necessary and then getting you back to your "home" country ASAP so they don't have to continue covering costs. That is why those policies are so inexpensive compared to normal health insurance; they are intended to cover unexpected emergencies for a short duration, not to cover routine and ongoing care like a proper health insurance policy.

Alas, rising healthcare costs are an issue everywhere, even here, so expect premiums to continue to rise. You may want to consider shopping around for a different plan; most providers have quite a few to choose from with different coverage levels, and there may be a cheaper one that still suits your needs.

shockwave

Ring your insurance company and ask them if they have a policy similar to the one you're on but at a cheaper price, they are legally obliged to tell you

cormie

Thanks a lot for the very helpful replies folks!

I believe I'm on the best policy for my needs and it's a corporate policy from what I know so it's the best price too.

I guess I'll just have to put up with it

LostArt

If you're paying €1500 for a corporate plan it's probably overpriced, whats its name?

cormie

Simply health excess by Laya. It's pretty comprehensive and the outpatient benefits are nice. If you have any suggestions of something better that offers the same level of cover, I'm all ears though

LostArt

https://www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?plan_ids=279|492|392&source=plans

https://www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?plan_ids=279|656|519&source=plans

_Kaiser_

Don't have insurance myself and never had. I've never needed it in the past despite a very unhealthy diet (the typical "single man" diet) and desk job and now I couldn't afford it anyway so, meh!

NUTLEY BOY

If you have not been there, look at this thread on www.askaboutmoney.com . It is very helpful for information like that which you are seeking.
https://www.askaboutmoney.com/forums/health-insurance-and-healthcare-costs.100/

cormie

LostArt wrote: »

https://www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?plan_ids=279|492|392&source=plans

https://www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?plan_ids=279|656|519&source=plans

Only got around to looking into this today. I rang them to compare the ones you mentioned and switched to total health 175. It's a saving of about 200 a year. The only way I'd be better off with simply health excess is if I'm admitted to hospital 5+ times a year, so hoping Ill never need to switch back for that reason! Thanks for all the help folks!

Quackster

Personally I think Laya Simplicity is by far the best of the plans LostArt mentioned (it's the plan I'm on myself).

Remember you can cancel, switch to another provider or change your mind as to what Laya plan you want to be on (as often as you like) up to 14 days AFTER your renewal date!

...And Justice

Quackster wrote: »

Personally I think Laya Simplicity is by far the best of the plans LostArt mentioned (it's the plan I'm on myself).

Remember you can cancel, switch to another provider or change your mind as to what Laya plan you want to be on (as often as you like) up to 14 days AFTER your renewal date!

I am currently with laya and the plan is €3400 for two adults and two children.

cormie

Quackster wrote: »

Personally I think Laya Simplicity is by far the best of the plans LostArt mentioned (it's the plan I'm on myself).

Why do you think that? I wasn't at the computer when I was speaking to the lady earlier so couldn't take notes, but it seemed to make more sense to go for the total health 175 plan.

Looking at the 2 ones being considered compared to my old plan, it seems there's more differences than she mentioned though:

https://www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?plan_ids=656|492|279&source=plans

Quackster

cormie wrote: »

Why do you think that? I wasn't at the computer when I was speaking to the lady earlier so couldn't take notes, but it seemed to make more sense to go for the total health 175 plan.

Looking at the 2 ones being considered compared to my old plan, it seems there's more differences than she mentioned though:

https://www.hia.ie/ci/comparison/step3?plan_ids=656|492|279&source=plans

Total Health is €73 more than Simplicity. The out-patient excess for Simplicity is €99 higher than Total Health so you'll be at most €26 worse off on out-patient claims with Simplicity, all else being equal.

Inpatient cover with Simplicity is superior though as it fully covers a private room in a private hospital whereas Total Health has a €175-a-night shortfall (except for Mater Private Cork).

Simplicity provides full cover for the Beacon whereas Total Health has a €195-a-night shortfall.

The private in-patient excess with Simplicity is simpler too as it's €100 on the first too claims per year.

With Total Health, the private in-patient excess is €50 or €175 depending on the hospital and it applies to every claim.

The private day-case excess with Simplicity is €50 whereas with Total Health it's either €50, €175 or €200 depending on the hospital.

https://www.layahealthcare.ie/productsandservices/plan/scheme/simplicity
https://www.layahealthcare.ie/productsandservices/plan/scheme/total-health-complete-175

cormie

Hey, sorry, I never replied to say thanks for that! Haven't really had a chance to look into it properly. So why would anyone go with the total health compared to simplicity then? For someone who doesn't see themselves needing hospitals or doctors much, but maybe physio, is the Total Health not better?