Health insurance

Seanachai

A parent has offered to pay for my health insurance, I've never had a policy before.

It has to be with Irish Life, reading through the different packages it doesn't seem like they offer great discounts on physio and dental, but my brother is insistent that him and his partner get big discounts. Do the providers offer better deals over the phone or do physios and dentists have a way of getting more money from the insurers than is stated on their website?

RedXIV

I've generally found that there are a bunch of plans/perks that aren't as widely advertised, usually corporate plans which have better discounts etc.

To be honest, it really depends on the plan you'd be going on. Some have great coverage and discounts, I was on one previously that covered 100% of the first two visits to anyone in the health sphere and then 75% after that, but the new one I'm with now (both were provided by work) only covered 50% of all visits.

As with all things insurance based, it's only when stuff really hits the fan that you appreciate it so do keep in mind, even the most minimal cover usually counts for a lot when it's needed

antoinolachtnai

it is a very kind and thoughtful offer by your parent.

You get all these variants in the policies. But really what matters is that you have cover for most private hospitals for procedures and overnight stays. If you live long enough you will benefit from these services. If you are young, it may be a while. But it’s great to know that if something happens you’ll be able to get care quickly and get back to your life as soon as possible.

Physios, contribution to consultants fees, etc are a fringe benefit in some packages but it may not be worth paying extra for,

Now you can convince yourself of anything when it comes to health insurance. You can hypnotize yourself with all the packages. They all have these different finicky little details

Dental insurance is really a thing in and of itself. For the most part you would be better putting 400 or 500 euros a year aside for.

Del2005

Ring the insurance company and tell them what you want. There are so many plans that they will be able to find one that suits.

Make sure that you plan ahead as for some cover you need to have had a policy for several years before you can claim.