VHI premiums to rise by 15% from 1 February

Lostinspace · 06-01-2011 01:45PM

The premiums are going to rise from February 1st onwards. If your renewal date is after Feb 1st then you are going to be affected by these increases.

However, if you ring the VHI now and change your renewal date to before February 1st then you can still avail of the current premiums for 12 months.

You are entitled to do this.

mayo.mick · 06-01-2011 01:56PM

Got my renewal from vhi just before christmas, i was on plan b options but they changed the name of it to one plan complete will cost me €1095 :mad:
Just looked back on a previous policy 02, cost me €450

Eoin · 06-01-2011 02:04PM

Feeona wrote: »

Good to hear that people are getting value from their private insurance. I haven't had to go in to get surgery done (touch wood), but my boyfriend has been in and out to A and E with sports injuries. The average waiting time was seven/eight hours, seems it's those who need it most get seen first (which is only right) but you sometimes wonder what you're shelling out money for!

Their clinics are probably better for that type of stuff, if there are any near you. If your boyfriend needed any MRIs or outpatient care, he would probably notice the difference of having VHI cover. I had to get an MRI or something similar on my back last year, and most of it was covered by VHI.

Feeona · 06-01-2011 02:16PM

eoin wrote: »

Their clinics are probably better for that type of stuff, if there are any near you. If your boyfriend needed any MRIs or outpatient care, he would probably notice the difference of having VHI cover. I had to get an MRI or something similar on my back last year, and most of it was covered by VHI.

Yeah he's gone into the doctor today, his back has been at him for ages (nothing to do with me

). He wants to get an MRI done, at least he'll be covered for that.

sellerbarry · 06-01-2011 02:27PM

It's the same doctor doing the procedure whether you're private or public. Just get a nicer room and menu with private. Not worth it imo.;)

jester77 · 06-01-2011 02:43PM

bluewolf wrote: »

Germany is a bit crazy for insurance & tax

anyway mine personally costs around 600 a year

Sounds reasonable compared to here, mine costs around 5k and it's mandatory plus they increased it again at the start of this year and I had to pay a zuschlag at the end of last year as what I paid didn't cover their costs :mad:

06-01-2011 02:50PM

jester77 wrote: »

Sounds reasonable compared to here, mine costs around 5k and it's mandatory plus they increased it again at the start of this year and I had to pay a zuschlag at the end of last year as what I paid didn't cover their costs :mad:

Yes I often tell OH the reason he pays so much is probably cos having it is mandatory over there, so the companies/state know they can charge whatever as people have to pay either way. At the same time though it seems to cover a lot more than here, walk into a GP etc?

gazzer · 06-01-2011 02:52PM

After careful consideration I am getting rid of my health insurance for the following reasons:

1. If I have an accident and get taking to the local A&E private health insurance is not going to help me when I am lying on a trolley waiting to be admitted.

2. Paying health insurance for a private room in a public hospital is a con because you very rarely get a private room. You nearly always end up in the same ward you would if you were not paying insurance.

3. The main reason for me paying the insurance was for using a consultant if (god forbid) I had something wrong with me. In the public system you could be waiting 12 months or more to see a consultant. Privately you could see the consultant in a week. What I am going to do in future is (if) I need to see a consultant I will pay to see them privately and then if any operation etc is needed I will request it will be done on the public system.

That way I am bypassing the initial wait to see the consultant and by going back on the public system I only have to wait 3 months max for my operation (because of the NTPF).

4. I am going to join the Hospital Saturday Fund for day to day medical expenses. Your spouse or partner is covered for free.

jester77 · 06-01-2011 02:56PM

bluewolf wrote: »

Yes I often tell OH the reason he pays so much is probably cos having it is mandatory over there, so the companies/state know they can charge whatever as people have to pay either way. At the same time though it seems to cover a lot more than here, walk into a GP etc?

The system seems to be better here, but people still complain!! But to be honest I've no idea how it works, I've only been to the doctor a few times in the last 10 years and that was just to get jabs for traveling. I know you just pay €10 for your first visit to a GP every quarter, so you would only ever pay a max of €40 per year. Much better than the €60 per visit that people pay in Ireland, but the downside is that you have some people going in if they just feel an itch and they push up the costs!

Fighting Irish · 06-01-2011 03:20PM

They are a business, they can charge what they want

leeroybrown · 06-01-2011 03:35PM

Fighting Irish wrote: »

They are a business, they can charge what they want

VHI is currently a non-profit organisations. The profits it makes on paper are used to improve it's solvency for the purposes of paying health costs.

CathyMoran · 06-01-2011 03:42PM

It is terrible that the premiums are being raised again but I would not give up our health insurance, other things will suffer though. It is not much use for maternity (in my experience) as you have to pay large amounts in addition if you wish to go private and you may not get a private room even still. It is useful if you unexpectedly develop an illness that will require medical care on an ongoing basis and while you have to pay a lot of the consultant fees to be seen if you need procedures the waiting periods are not bad.

Kasabian · 06-01-2011 03:43PM

Simple solution to all this if you think about it.

Don't get sick

ntlbell · 06-01-2011 03:44PM

gazzer wrote: »

After careful consideration I am getting rid of my health insurance for the following reasons:

1. If I have an accident and get taking to the local A&E private health insurance is not going to help me when I am lying on a trolley waiting to be admitted.

2. Paying health insurance for a private room in a public hospital is a con because you very rarely get a private room. You nearly always end up in the same ward you would if you were not paying insurance.

3. The main reason for me paying the insurance was for using a consultant if (god forbid) I had something wrong with me. In the public system you could be waiting 12 months or more to see a consultant. Privately you could see the consultant in a week. What I am going to do in future is (if) I need to see a consultant I will pay to see them privately and then if any operation etc is needed I will request it will be done on the public system.

That way I am bypassing the initial wait to see the consultant and by going back on the public system I only have to wait 3 months max for my operation (because of the NTPF).

4. I am going to join the Hospital Saturday Fund for day to day medical expenses. Your spouse or partner is covered for free.

so you pay out of your own pocket to see a consultant within a week

then go on a 12 month waiting list for surgery

interesting

byhookorbycrook · 06-01-2011 03:56PM

bnt wrote: »

Then there's the cost of medicines, which is only going to rise. There's a new treatment (Gilenya) coming out this year for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: the first real oral therapy (no injections). Great, but the wholesale cost is $48,000 a year, which translates to about €100 per day. Good luck getting that on the VHI ...

I'm with VHI and use Tysabri for my MS, costs about €2,500 a month, all covered. Public patients do NOT get this treatment.
Previously, I was on the betaferon injections ,cost about €1,500 a month ,covered by LTI scheme .

gazzer · 06-01-2011 04:01PM

ntlbell wrote: »

so you pay out of your own pocket to see a consultant within a week

then go on a 12 month waiting list for surgery

interesting

The waiting list should only be 3 months. The bottleneck seems to be in getting to see the consultant. That can take a year or more. So if you opt to see the consultant privately you will see them a lot quicker than a year.

Once you see the consultant you are then on the waiting list for treatment (if it is needed) and with the HTPF you should not be waiting any more than 3 months.

FlutterinBantam · 06-01-2011 04:03PM

leeroybrown wrote: »

VHI is currently a non-profit organisations. The profits it makes on paper are used to improve it's solvency for the purposes of paying health costs.

Indeed indeed.And why are are these price increases happening my friends?

Health service stake holders have their heads firmly jammed in the trough, in balls deep.

All the vested interests, consultants, nurses, doctors , paras, and all the ancillary stuff are balls deep in the trough which is being filled by John Q Taxpayer.

We are being ridden roughshod by the vested interests in the Health Service.

Who will call these gimps out and put a bit of reality into the situation.

Dr J.?

Plazaman · 06-01-2011 04:04PM

It's not the Health Insurers that are the rip offs, it's the service providers i.e. the Hospitals. VHI done some streamlining last year regarding some consultants who basically charge €250 for their signature without seeing the patient at all. Most public hospitals charge Health Insurers AT LEAST €950 per night for private rooms and €680 per night for public beds (trolleys are extra probably). My last 2 visits to hospital I got the old switcharoo as I was put into a private room for about an hour and then turfed into the public ward but Health Insurer charged full whack.

For 950 a night I could get a room in a top Dublin Hotel and have my nuts licked by a beautiful latino lady. Regardless of other acronyms, it'd be MRSA free.

CathyMoran · 06-01-2011 04:05PM

I went to see a consultant privatly and it took 6 weeks (and that was a cancelation), having said that, as soon as I saw him I got the first test done for that condition the following day and a biopsy within the same week. I was so glad that I had my insurance as I am not sure that I would still be here otherwise (was diagnosed with a very fast spreading cancer in 2006 when I was 32).

spank_inferno · 06-01-2011 04:17PM

I've always gone the self-pay route myself

Last year I had a Pilonidal Sinus (for those in the know, it hurts!)

As this was the 2nd time I had it I didnt want to go through the slow painfull public wait.

So I seen a consultant privately.... he booked me into a public bed for operation within 1 month, I paid for his & the surgery teams time & my bed.

Care was great.... end to end it cost about €1000 of which I got 20% back from the revenue.

no muss... no fuss.

ntlbell · 06-01-2011 04:23PM

gazzer wrote: »

The waiting list should only be 3 months. The bottleneck seems to be in getting to see the consultant. That can take a year or more. So if you opt to see the consultant privately you will see them a lot quicker than a year.

Once you see the consultant you are then on the waiting list for treatment (if it is needed) and with the HTPF you should not be waiting any more than 3 months.

I dunno what insurance you had/have, I had one of the top on think I was with bupa at the time and I still had to pay out of my own pocket the first session with the consultant 150 blips I think. the insurance got me the surgery straight away instead of 6 month wait time.

ntlbell · 06-01-2011 04:25PM

spank_inferno wrote: »

I've always gone the self-pay route myself

Last year I had a Pilonidal Sinus (for those in the know, it hurts!)

As this was the 2nd time I had it I didnt want to go through the slow painfull public wait.

So I seen a consultant privately.... he booked me into a public bed for operation within 1 month, I paid for his & the surgery teams time & my bed.

Care was great.... end to end it cost about €1000 of which I got 20% back from the revenue.

no muss... no fuss.

I think for things like pilonidal sinus which would be considered "minor" surgey might be cheap enough out of your own pocket but for example something like gal bladder removal can be about 14k

other things like cancer where timing is crucial you really can't afford to be waiting around and most people wouldn't have the finanical backing to pay for it on their own

Eoin · 06-01-2011 04:27PM

spank_inferno wrote: »

end to end it cost about €1000 of which I got 20% back from the revenue.
.

Hasn't that tax relief since been removed?

gazzer · 06-01-2011 04:40PM

eoin wrote: »

Hasn't that tax relief since been removed?

As far as I know you can still claim 20% relief back on medical expenses.

spank_inferno · 06-01-2011 04:40PM

eoin wrote: »

Hasn't that tax relief since been removed?

It may have now, but the procedure was done late 08'

kippy · 06-01-2011 04:47PM

When you think about the amount of money we, as citizens, put into the HSE, it is a joke that we have to supplement this, in a major with private health insurance and health insurance that almost impossible to unscramble as to what you are and are no covered for as well as all of the variable excesses.

I've had private health insurance since I started working in 2002, some part paid by employer but now fully paid for by myself. Including cover for herself its about 1400 bills a year. Currently with Aviva. A lot of money out of your net Income.
I dont actually think I have ever claimed much on it, I know she hasnt and I am begining to seriously question its value (that being said, I am not gonna start complaining about never having to utilise it, that is a good thing), especially in the Austere times we live in and with the cost probably heading closer to 2000 bills.

Yet another (almost unavoidable) "cost of living" for an employed person, who has already taken paycuts, tax rises and sees further impending pay cuts and tax rises down the line.

I dunno.
It's gonna be another major question I will be asking the bunch of clowns that will be looking for my vote in a few months but I dont expect anything ground breaking to be forthcoming.

Fighting Irish · 06-01-2011 06:28PM

sellerbarry wrote: »

It's the same doctor doing the procedure whether you're private or public. Just get a nicer room and menu with private. Not worth it imo.;)

and you get seen a whole lot quicker if you're private

Nate--IRL-- · 06-01-2011 06:37PM

Fighting Irish wrote: »

and you get seen a whole lot quicker if you're private

That is the major reason why I pay for it.

Nate

Firetrap · 06-01-2011 06:38PM

Perhaps they're peeved that people have started doing this

LizT · 06-01-2011 06:52PM

gazzer wrote: »

The waiting list should only be 3 months. The bottleneck seems to be in getting to see the consultant. That can take a year or more. So if you opt to see the consultant privately you will see them a lot quicker than a year.

Once you see the consultant you are then on the waiting list for treatment (if it is needed) and with the HTPF you should not be waiting any more than 3 months.

You shouldn't be waiting for longer than 3 months but it happens. The staff shortage are unreal at the minute, both my parents work in hospitals where several ward have had to be closed due to staff shortages, clinics being cancelled etc.

Because of the embargo on hiring new staff, the health service is currently severely understaffed.

VHI premiums to rise by 15% from 1 February

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