Can't get private health care once diagnosed?

NewsMeQuick

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Brian201888

It's completely standard that pre-existing conditions will be excluded from coverage for 5 years. Wouldn't work any other way to be honest otherwise there would be no incentive to take out health insurance until you became unwell.

Wesser

Of course! That's the essence of insurance. Otherwise everyone would just buy it as soon as they have symptoms and need a test of some sort. It's not a new illness if the symptoms were there before you bought insurance.

NewsMeQuick

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Shefwedfan

Do you understand the basic concept of business?

It is to make profit. Health insurance in no different

I have paid Health insurance out of my own pocket now for 20 years, before that my parents did....I have used it once for a couple of hundred euro claim

That is what health insurance companies want

You could potentially be a long term person who claims so yes they won’t have much interest in you.....it’s the healthy ones they want

Brian201888

You will be able to claim the applicable amount for the visits to the Dietician under the out patient benefits immediately

CalamariFritti

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Do you understand the basic concept of business?

It is to make profit. Health insurance in no different

I have paid Health insurance out of my own pocket now for 20 years, before that my parents did....I have used it once for a couple of hundred euro claim

That is what health insurance companies want

You could potentially be a long term person who claims so yes they won’t have much interest in you.....it’s the healthy ones they want

Well thats not really a fair way of expressing it. Yes they want to make a profit, but they insure a group of people against a statistical risk. That statistical risk is calculated against 'normal' conditions within that group of people. Once the claim condition is no longer a risk but a certainty for an individual - you're being diagnosed in the case of health insurance - normal conditions no longer apply. Like others said nobody would take out insurance if it was any other way, they just sign up once they have 'something' and the whole idea collapses.

Wesser

It's like saying buy house insurance after your house goes on fire or buy car insurance after you crash your car. Doesn't work like that !!

realitykeeper

NewsMeQuick wrote: »

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You can still pay as a private patient.

I would not bother with the insurance because:

A) I might never get sick, cause I take care of my health and

my health is the last thing the insurance people will use my money for. First they will use it for gambling on the markets, their salaries, their lavish expenses, their premises, their insurance, their profit margin, their general overheads, their lawyers, their detectives/investigators/second opinion doctors etc, and then and only then will they use my payments to pay the cost of my health care.

I save what others waste on health insurance.

Avatar MIA

realitykeeper wrote: »

You can still pay as a private patient.

I would not bother with the insurance because:

A) I might never get sick, cause I take care of my health and

my health is the last thing the insurance people will use my money for. First they will use it for gambling on the markets, their salaries, their lavish expenses, their premises, their insurance, their profit margin, their general overheads, their lawyers, their detectives/investigators/second opinion doctors etc, and then and only then will they use my payments to pay the cost of my health care.

If I were to respond as I'd like to I'd likely be carded. Not for what I'd say, but how I'd say it... so instead 10, 9, 8...

s7ryf3925pivug

You can get them to waive the wait period sometimes, but you'll only be able to hope for this if you buy a policy with a high premium or if you go through a group scheme (ie: through work)

Salmotrutta

realitykeeper wrote: »

I would not bother with the insurance because:

A) I might never get sick, cause I take care of my health and


...

I save what others waste on health insurance.

I've always taken care of my health too. Kept fit, eat well, drink very little. Didn't stop me developing MS a few years ago. Private health insurance has been invaluable to me since then, literally saved me thousands and got me treated immediately, rather than waiting many months and having more ill health/disability due to delayed treatment.

I've also had several knee surgeries from wear and tear caused by, you guessed it, taking care of my health.

I wear Factor 50 sunscreen because I have fair skin, but guess what, I still got minor skin cancer. Private health insurance allowed me to be seen and treated within weeks. If I had to go public I'd be waiting 2+ years just for an appointment.



You're welcome to your opinion. I wish you good health and hope for your sake you never get really sick through no fault of your own.

realitykeeper

Salmotrutta wrote: »

I've always taken care of my health too. Kept fit, eat well, drink very little. Didn't stop me developing MS a few years ago. Private health insurance has been invaluable to me since then, literally saved me thousands and got me treated immediately, rather than waiting many months and having more ill health/disability due to delayed treatment.

I've also had several knee surgeries from wear and tear caused by, you guessed it, taking care of my health.

I wear Factor 50 sunscreen because I have fair skin, but guess what, I still got minor skin cancer. Private health insurance allowed me to be seen and treated within weeks. If I had to go public I'd be waiting 2+ years just for an appointment.



You're welcome to your opinion. I wish you good health and hope for your sake you never get really sick through no fault of your own.

I thank you. There is a saying in legal circles that goes: Hard cases make bad law. Similarly, your case is atypical. How do I know this? Because I know that people pay health insurance and insurance companies pay for lots of things plus peoples health care. So, what comes out is a lot less than what goes in.

byhookorbycrook

Yes there will always be "hard cases" and it looks like our OP is one of them. Most people pay for car insurance and will never get back the cost of what they outlay,but legal requirement , aside, would you chance of having to pay the entire cost of a single serious accident? A serious LTI is like a constantly occurring car accident, cost wise.

I can assure you that I am getting plenty out for my money, though!The treatment I am on costs €2,500 a MONTH and isn't covered under DPS as it must be given in a hospital setting.The numbers who can get it on the public system are strictly controlled and I'm aware of at least two counties where this number is capped. That means that you can only get it as a public patient if others come off it. And if it's not done in your local public hospital at all, hospitals outside your area don't want you draining their resources. I have at least two MRIs a year, sometimes it has been as often as 6.

Back to the OP, you can of course get insurance, but you will have to wait out the period set by the company sets. The sooner you start, the better in that regard.

banie01

Health insurance by necessity have waiting periods.
The concept of insurance is that by a large number of people clubbing together and paying relatively small amounts that the risk of a few large events is mitigated across the funds provided by all the insured. It is not a magic money fund that newly diagnosed and previously uninsured people can rock up to and pay in for immediate benefit upon diagnosis

As many have already pointed out, expecting to be immediately covered for a known illness or condition on commencement of a policy is akin to ringing AXA whilst your house is on fire and asking to be put on cover for its pre-fire value.
Its Absurd.

I have Private health Insurance and have @15 years on cover in total but I have @3yr break in that.
Unfortunately at the height of the recession, I dropped my cover and whilst I was offered a continuance option that would have allowed me to resume cover without serving a further waiting period for any existing illness.
Couldn't afford to take it and was off cover for @3yrs, I am back on cover now and it will be @2years before I am eligible for cover for any issue arising from my diabetes.
And that is perfectly fair, I do not expect nor should I expect that my insurance company immediately picks up the tab for a known risk.
I am glad however that we live in a jurisdiction where those pre-existing conditions are still covered, rather than excluded from cover completely.
#

Zzippy

realitykeeper wrote: »

I thank you. There is a saying in legal circles that goes: Hard cases make bad law. Similarly, your case is atypical. How do I know this? Because I know that people pay health insurance and insurance companies pay for lots of things plus peoples health care. So, what comes out is a lot less than what goes in.

You do realise that insurance companies are not non-profit charities, right? Do you honestly expect every penny paid in to go on customers' medical expenses???

s7ryf3925pivug

Insurance is not an investment. You don’t pay it in the hope of saving money. You pay it to create a safety net. If you have a health problem you’re more likely to get it diagnosed and treated effectively, and in a timely manner, if you have insurance. Your experience of being treated might also be significantly more pleasant. However you might risk being encouraged to undergo unnecessary treatment, including unnecessary surgery!

realitykeeper

Zzippy wrote: »

You do realise that insurance companies are not non-profit charities, right? Do you honestly expect every penny paid in to go on customers' medical expenses???

I am not a charity either. That is why I don`t pay health insurance. What I expect is value for money and that is what I get when I combine holidays abroad with private healthcare.

Shefwedfan

realitykeeper wrote: »

I am not a charity either. That is why I don`t pay health insurance. What I expect is value for money and that is what I get when I combine holidays abroad with private healthcare.

Based on all your posts so far I think you are trying to convince yourself what you are saying is true....

Off you go, do what you want......

I think the best bit is "value for money".......:P:P:P:P

Avatar MIA

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Based on all your posts so far I think you are trying to convince yourself what you are saying is true....

Off you go, do what you want......

I think the best bit is "value for money".......:P:P:P:P

I think someone's potentially in for a reality check!

martyoo

A) I might never get sick, cause I take care of my health

The amount of people that think this way beggars belief. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but healthy people get sick all the time. Shocker!

realitykeeper

martyoo wrote: »

The amount of people that think this way beggars belief. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but healthy people get sick all the time. Shocker!

... and there are people who smoked all their lives living to a ripe old age without having wasted a cent on health insurance. Playing on people`s fears is of course in the interests of the insurance companies just as playing on people`s hopes is is the interests of the bookie. Neither industry produce anything, they just play the odds to make a buck.

Avatar MIA

realitykeeper wrote: »

... and there are people who smoked all their lives living to a ripe old age without having wasted a cent on health insurance.

You're border line trolling now.

realitykeeper

Avatar MIA wrote: »

You're border line trolling now.

If pointing out that people with unhealthy lifestyles can beat the odds and live long lives is trolling, then so is this:

martyoo wrote: »

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but healthy people get sick all the time. Shocker!

Preying on people`s vulnerabilities and exploiting their (often irrational) fears is not a very nice thing to do. I appreciate one must make a living but one ought to find an honest way of doing it.

Gremlinertia

MOD NOTE: Back on topic please now. If you have a problem with a post use the report function DO NOT tackle it on thread..

dr.fuzzenstein

realitykeeper wrote: »

... and there are people who smoked all their lives living to a ripe old age without having wasted a cent on health insurance. Playing on people`s fears is of course in the interests of the insurance companies just as playing on people`s hopes is is the interests of the bookie. Neither industry produce anything, they just play the odds to make a buck.

So your reasoning is because you know people (or have heard vague anecdotes about them 3rd hand) who have lived unhealthy lives and they were OK, you yourself are going to be OK.
Now transplant that to car insurance.
You have heard vague anecdotes about people driving like lunatics and they didn't have a crash and needed car insurance.
It's not scaremongering by the insurance companies in the least, the dangers are very real, even if not everyone will be affected.
Think of it more like a bet. If nothing happens, you paid out some money, but you are OK. If something does happen, you are taken care of and you are (hopefully) OK. Or at least more OK than without insurance.
I have fire insurance on my house. I am hoping I will never need it. I will be very happy if I never need it.
Is it wasted money? Hell no!

realitykeeper

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

So your reasoning is because you know people (or have heard vague anecdotes about them 3rd hand) who have lived unhealthy lives and they were OK, you yourself are going to be OK.

But as I said already, I take care of my health and just because healthy people sometimes become ill (for reasons other than extreme old age), hardly justifies giving my hard earn money to an insurance broker. If one has irrational fears, one should practice meditation.

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Now transplant that to car insurance.
You have heard vague anecdotes about people driving like lunatics and they didn't have a crash and needed car insurance.

They are legally required to have car insurance which is the only reason I might have heard of such instances. Rather than requiring all motorists to pay irrespective of whether or not they drive like a lunatic, I think it would be better for third parties to insure themselves against lunatics if they want to and when lunatics are involved in an "accident", their lunacy could then be punishable as reckless endangerment. Confiscating any wealth they own should be the first step on the punishment ladder.

Kurtosis

Mod note

My colleague Grem has closed this as it's just descended into petty arguments. I'd remind those who are new to the forum to read the LTI charter, and that a higher standard of posting is expected here.

If anyone has anything to contribute to the original topic of getting insurance after a diagnosis, please PM Gremlinertia or myself to reopen the thread.