Do you have health insurance?

meeeeh

Will_I_Regret wrote: »

What would you need to be paying per month for a decent policy?

I know the plan I'm on (simply connect plus from Laya) was mentioned before as good value plan by Dermot Goode. There are more similar plans but I can't remember the names. Currently it costs about 120 per month. It's always worth to check about corporate plans. They tend to be cheaper and they have to sell them to everyone.

It really depends what you need and want though.

meeeeh

meeeeh wrote: »

I know the plan I'm on (simply connect plus) was mentioned before as good value plan by Dermot Goode. There are more but I can't remember the names. Currently it costs about 120 per month.

It really depends what you need and want though.

The trouble is you don't know what you need until you need it. Especially now that medicine is changing so rapidly. There's not much we can do about it overall, except that fairly well-off people (or those less wealthy who choose to live an otherwise meagre lifestyle) can afford the most expensive cover available at over €5000 per annum, which should cover most readily available treatments in the country.

tjhook

As an adult, I wouldn't be without it. There've been years where I paid for the insurance rather than having a holiday abroad. It's all about priorities.

I'm not sure about health insurance for kids though. My experience, when kids needed treatment, was that the main hospitals (both public and private) wouldn't take them and told me to bring them to one of the childrens' hospitals. Those are public, and health insurance doesn't help. (Must say though, they were very well taken care of)

I note this post from earlier:

tscul32 wrote: »

I brought my 15 year old to the Hermitage last week to get an ingrown toenail removed and back the next day for a dressing change.

So I wonder if I have just been unlucky? Or maybe the "non-childrens" hospitals will deal with teenagers but not younger kids? I have mine on the insurance "just in case", but I haven't had much value from it, even when they needed treatment.

landofthetree

landofthetree wrote: »

Funny the amount of people who wont get it yet by March of every year they would probably have spent the equivalent of a decent plan on beer down the pub.

It is a matter of choice for many. If you're well enough off, you can afford too cover without a problem; people relying on medical card etc at least have the visiting nurse and other HSE services if needed and are actually at a distinct advantage in this respect over others. Most are in the middle somewhere and need to compromise health cover with lifestyle.

tjhook

tjhook wrote: »

As an adult, I wouldn't be without it. There've been years where I paid for the insurance rather than having a holiday abroad. It's all about priorities.

I'm not sure about health insurance for kids though. My experience, when kids needed treatment, was that the main hospitals (both public and private) wouldn't take them and told me to bring them to one of the childrens' hospitals. Those are public, and health insurance doesn't help. (Must say though, they were very well taken care of)

I note this post from earlier:


So I wonder if I have just been unlucky? Or maybe the "non-childrens" hospitals will deal with teenagers but not younger kids? I have mine on the insurance "just in case", but I haven't had much value from it, even when they needed treatment.

Personally I think if I had kids I wouldn't get them insured, but would strongly advise them to insure themselves once they started to work. But of course I never had kids, so haven't looked at this closely. I can't see any particular advantage for a child to be medically insured in this country.

Strumms

Deleted User wrote: »

It is a matter of choice for many. If you're well enough off, you can afford too cover without a problem; people relying on medical card etc at least have the visiting nurse and other HSE services if needed and are actually at a distinct advantage in this respect over others. Most are in the middle somewhere and need to compromise health cover with lifestyle.

Problem is, nurses, physios in the community are also mega low in numbers and they have fûck all in the way of resources to help people... a physio trying to help someone to walk again after a brain injury is pretty up against it, turning up at somebody’s house or apartment with a couple of resistance bands and weights...hmmmm no".

There really should be in big population centers, big state outpatient physiotherapy facilities... treadmills, weight machines, cross trainers, alter G Treadmills....

In October ‘20 the government announced €868 million to overseas aid (taxpayers money) in the 2021 budget. This is an increase of €30 million on the allocation in Budget 2020, this enabled the allocation to overseas aid to increase for the seventh year in a row... yet... no investment in physical rehabilitation outpatient services.... €868 million, wow.

But they can’t spend 50 million or whatever investing in health and rehabilitation facilities here...

This is it

Think mine is about €1400, paid through work. Have never needed it for anything more than the odd GP visit and opticians. Now that I have it I'd be afraid to drop it, if I never had it I'd probably manage without it.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

o1s1n wrote: »

I have had two surgeries over the last decade while on private healthcare - both instances I ended up in a public ward because the private ones were all full up.

Towards the end of the second stay they moved me to a semi private ward, but I was over the worst of it at that stage and getting ready to leave the hospital.

Cancelled my health insurance after that. Not worth it at all IMO.

You’ll get scans done way quicker though. For faster diagnostics, it’s worth it. That can be the difference between life and death if it’s something like cancer. Once diagnosed, I don’t think it really matters where you get the treatment. I think I’d prefer a public hospital. They’ve seen it all.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

You’ll get scans done way quicker though. For faster diagnostics, it’s worth it. That can be the difference between life and death if it’s something like cancer. Once diagnosed, I don’t think it really matters where you get the treatment. I think I’d prefer a public hospital. They’ve seen it all.

Got a recent US scan for €160, so insurance not really relevant for this. Occasional scans are very really affordable unless of course you need them regularly, and of course the more sophisticated ones are a lot more costly. I used Affidea, and again was "competing" with public patients to use same facility. I only say "competing" in relation to the worthwhile-ness of private health insurance as had I gone public I could have got scan there. Don't know the comparative wait times, but I know I was waiting several weeks after doctor suggesting from blood results as well as multiple glands I might have cancer. Thankfully I don't.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

Deleted User wrote: »

Got a recent US scan for €160, so insurance not really relevant for this. Occasional scans are very really affordable unless of course you need them regularly, and of course the more sophisticated ones are a lot more costly. I used Affidea, and again was "competing" with public patients to use same facility. I only say "competing" in relation to the worthwhile-ness of private health insurance as had I gone public I could have got scan there. Don't know the comparative wait times, but I know I was waiting several weeks after doctor suggesting from blood results as well as multiple glands I might have cancer. Thankfully I don't.

When I was desperately trying to get somebody to send me to a breast clinic, €160 was a lot of money to me and I think a breast triple assessment would have cost more than that. I spent over two years trying to be taken seriously by a string of doctors. I recall begging a doctor to send for me scans privately and I’d have begged, borrow or some to find the money. She refused on the grounds that the costs would rack up. My performance status at that time was terrible - I had a nipple that was inverted and bloody and would not heal, I had constant severe pain in my ribs and spine (and, I later learned, a broken rib that had pathologically fractured) that had lasted for seven months. I was ingesting a 12 pack of paracetamol a day that was doing nothing and I could not walk two metres without being dangerously out of breath. I was actually about six months from death if left untreated. She prescribed a course of antibiotics and sent me on my way. A small monthly health insurance payment would have got me into the system way sooner. I know this from my friend who had ovarian cysts diagnosed and looked after very quickly.

Of course, once I was diagnosed and deemed terminal, money and treatments were flung at me. :rolleyes:

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

When I was desperately trying to get somebody to send me to a breast clinic, €160 was a lot of money to me and I think a breast triple assessment would have cost more than that. I spent over two years trying to be taken seriously by a string of doctors. I recall begging a doctor to send for me scans privately and I’d have begged, borrow or some to find the money. She refused on the grounds that the costs would rack up. My performance status at that time was terrible - I had a nipple that was inverted and bloody and would not heal, I had constant severe pain in my ribs and spine (and, I later learned, a broken rib that had pathologically fractured) that had lasted for seven months. I was ingesting a 12 pack of paracetamol a day that was doing nothing and I could not walk two metres without being dangerously out of breath. I was actually about six months from death if left untreated. She prescribed a course of antibiotics and sent me on my way. A small monthly health insurance payment would have got me into the system way sooner. I know this from my friend who had ovarian cysts diagnosed and looked after very quickly.

Of course, once I was diagnosed and deemed terminal, money and treatments were flung at me. :rolleyes:

I remember that... it is totally outrageous the way you were treated, but I can very well believe how it all panned out. Many doctors don't actually listen to patients or pay enough attention to observe their symptoms. Could wallpaper the apartment with the stories I've heard. Even my non-medical mother knew in the 1960s that an inverted nipple spelled cancer, when my father's mother disclosed that new symptom to her.

Marty Bird

Yes I have it and it’s worth it IMO. Bad pain while running in Dec broke a bone in the foot went to Swiftcare in seen doctor X-ray and boot on back in taxi in 30mins.

The Mighty Quinn

My trouble is trying to pick a plan.

Hard to know in advance what I want to be covered for, illness doesn't always come with a long notice period, and I can't afford a plan to cover everything!

Marty Bird

The Mighty Quinn wrote: »

My trouble is trying to pick a plan.

Hard to know in advance what I want to be covered for, illness doesn't always come with a long notice period, and I can't afford a plan to cover everything!

Use https://www.hia.ie/ and compare all the plans to see which one best suites you’re needs.

Skyrimaddict

My experience of this whole set up.

Son needed a non-major Op.

Was told it would be 2 years wait for public to do it, 2 months if I had insurance or if I could pay cash I could be seen in two weeks.

The biggest farce I have ever seen is the Irish health system. When I was 17 I was on a very good family plan, had appendix out, in a ward of 5 other old people as no private rooms were available, this was 18 years ago.

Geuze

When Slaintecare is implemented (if?), and the waiting times drop to the target of 10 week and 12 weeks, I wonder will many people drop their health ins?

That is the idea of Slaintecare.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/press-centre/press-releases/20170530-future-of-healthcare-committee-publishes-slaintecare-a-plan-to-radically-transform-irish-healthcare/#:~:text=Waiting%20time%20guarantees%20of%2012,including%20enhanced%20capacity%20and%20staffing.


What then might happen to activity at the private hosps?

meeeeh

tjhook wrote: »

As an adult, I wouldn't be without it. There've been years where I paid for the insurance rather than having a holiday abroad. It's all about priorities.

I'm not sure about health insurance for kids though. My experience, when kids needed treatment, was that the main hospitals (both public and private) wouldn't take them and told me to bring them to one of the childrens' hospitals. Those are public, and health insurance doesn't help. (Must say though, they were very well taken care of)

I note this post from earlier:


So I wonder if I have just been unlucky? Or maybe the "non-childrens" hospitals will deal with teenagers but not younger kids? I have mine on the insurance "just in case", but I haven't had much value from it, even when they needed treatment.

Daughter's cover last year was more than paid by her treatments. She had huge tonsils. We used to call her Darth Vader because of her loud breathing and snoring but it wasn't urgent so she would wait years for public appointment. The difference in her breathing is immense. She is growing because she is able to sleep better (growth hormone is apparently produced in sleep) and she is not plagued with with annoying colds as she was before.

I know none of this is life threatening but it makes huge difference. It would take 2 years on public waiting list just to get an appointment with consultant. We went to gp in September and she had her tonsils out mid November.

Dravokivich

jimmy86 wrote: »

Just a point to note, for every year you go above your 35th birthday they add a 2% loading to the premium.. so if you're 40 when you first take out a policy it is an extra 10% and will be for as long as you hold a policy. I think it's to encourage people to take out policies when they are younger.

This loading means if I'm ever able to afford health insurance, I'll end up being discouraged from it, because I'll be mainly paying a fine, for not being able to afford it before.

meeeeh

That might be but majority of people use the insurance towards the latter years of their life. On average we are overpaying when young and underpaying when older. If you join only for the years when you will most likely need the cover other younger customers will be on average subsidising treatments for those who joined late.

Marty Bird

Marty Bird wrote: »

Yes I have it and it’s worth it IMO. Bad pain while running in Dec broke a bone in the foot went to Swiftcare in seen doctor X-ray and boot on back in taxi in 30mins.

Swift Care is really handy for that sort of thing. Had identical injury to you once after failing to see where a parking area met the raised pavement in an unlit area.

Car99

Geuze wrote: »

When Slaintecare is implemented (if?), and the waiting times drop to the target of 10 week and 12 weeks, I wonder will many people drop their health ins?

That is the idea of Slaintecare.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/press-centre/press-releases/20170530-future-of-healthcare-committee-publishes-slaintecare-a-plan-to-radically-transform-irish-healthcare/#:~:text=Waiting%20time%20guarantees%20of%2012,including%20enhanced%20capacity%20and%20staffing.


What then might happen to activity at the private hosps?

We're spending 1.5 billion on one childrens hospital on some of the most expensive land in the country in the middle of the busiest city in the country when a Greenfield site was available just off the N7 and M50. We will never have public wait times at 10 to 12 weeks. Cancer and emergency care the HSE do well the rest is a mess.
If whoever runs Revenue took over the HSE we might see some improvement on efficiency because Revenue dont miss a trick .

Looking at the HIA website as carefully as I have the patience for, I have come to the the conclusion that in this day any policy that costs under €3000 is largely useless because so relatively little is covered or the excess is enormous, and in reality you don't have access to the hospitals which offer up-to-date treatments. The choice in having a non-colostomy necessitating colon resection for bowel cancer is this: if robotically done you could be put next day or at latest by day after that, in little discomfort and able to get back to many activities in two weeks; if performed non-robotically you might be in for anything up to a week and you will be in a fair bit more discomfort and subject to more internal scarring and adhesions which could come against you later. Robotic is relatively non-traumatic but only available in hi-tech hospitals. But as time goes on more and more hospitals will, by default, be hi-tech. It's a bit like modern cars, where even the budget models are coming standard with safety features that used only be available in luxury brands.

Ash.J.Williams

i have a dose of cancer now and no insurance, we'll see how it goes.

theteal

Yup, through work.

I'm in the middle of using it now too. As good as the NHS has been for me it's failed me on the trouble I'm having with my knee. Old football injury going back 3 years now, it took almost 4 months for MRI back then, did a lot of physio and all seemed good, "away with you" kinda thing. It was never fully right but it felt strong so I started back playing in Aug/Sept of last year, tweaked it in game and it flared right up. I went to the AXA site, had an online GP call the next day who referred me immediately. I met the specialist 4 days later and MRI a week after that. If it wasn't for COVID lockdowns I would have had surgery back in October/November. All it has cost me was £250 excess which I have claimed back on work expenses.

I never paid for it myself before but now we have kids it would definitely be something I'd consider having were we not be covered.