Why does anyone need VHI

queensinead wrote: »

:D


So if you are young and in good health, why pay all that money?

If you go back a few posts - I explained exactly why.

queensinead wrote: »

:D

The thing with VHI is that many people started it when they got their first job, especially those in permanent jobs in the PS, teachers and the like---years of paying high premiums, but, because they were young, few health problems, they never needed or used VHI.
Now they are middle-aged or old, they don't want to opt out because they are getting to the age when things start going wrong health-wise. And these are the people who have the biggest hike, as announced today.

But some middle-aged people I know just joined in late middle-age. After a year or so you are covered for everything. They should have tougher checks for these people---do you smoke, have high blood pressure, and so on. But I believe it is easy to join. That is probably why premiums are so high.

So if you are young and in good health, why pay all that money?

I was 23(young and in good health) yet dying of a swollen jaw due to a wisdom tooth! If i was on public care i would have been waiting ages putting up with repeated infections and severe pain, or fork up €500 i couldnt afford for a specialist. Vhi helped me out. I was covered on plan b by my dad? Whats your point??

I'm 27 and my parents pay for my VHI, I don't even know how much it costs. Whatever it is it's well worth it. It's the only thing the pay for but perhaps it's about time I started paying it myself. However if it was left up to me I probably wouldn't have bothered with it when it turns out I actually needed it.

I had a appendicitis about two and half years ago and had an appendectomy. The doctors found a tumor inside my appendix. Within days I was back for an CT scan and a few weeks later I had to go back and have part of my bowel removed. Luckily they found no further signs of growth but I still had to go for scans every six months for two years and now annually for the next three just to make sure. In total I spent about 3 weeks lying in a hospital bed recovering from both operations.

I didn't have to wait an arduous amount of time for an appointment and VHI took care of the major expenses. Without it I would have waited months for my first scan then probably a few more months for an operation and probably would only have one more scan after that before being dropped.I also probably would've spent a lot of time on a trolly's in noisy corridors rather than in a proper bed in a ward.

It is literally a life saver in many cases.

whatsamsn wrote: »

Well my dad isnt beside me right now... but I know what he and average people of his age will say

"... people in my day didnt pay for that ..." and you know what they lived their lives. Car crashes ... immune problems etc etc.


Simple fact is VHI (and other companies) must wa*k at young people paying the fees. For every 1 person who 'gets their use' out of vhi, what 20 dont?
Now I can understand why people pay it. Dont know whats around the corner and what not. Can be seen as sensible. But lets be honest, insurance is about calculating odds and percentages.

Well this is how insurance works. Actuaries get paid a lot of money to calculate how likely an applicant is likely to die within the next 10, 20, 30 years etc. and they are charged accordingly, allowing for the insurer's costs like wages and that and of course, a bit of profit.

They wouldn't be in business if they were just paying everyone's hospital bills. People pay for the same reasons they play the lottery: it's just that they are replacing the possible jackpot with the very real danger that they will get sick.

Greentopia wrote: »

I've never been on any private health care plan so I have no idea tbh. Better to ask someones experience of it here who is on something like VHI
I was comparing ideally what a quality functioning universal system would be like versus private.

To be honest I find the whole private healthcare thing very confusing i.e. what is covered and what is not covered on each plan, I just buy the middle plan

Oranage2 wrote: »

F*ck - This thread has scare mongered me into potentially buying health insurance!!!

This is the exact reason we need FG (alone) in the next election. They are the only ones talking about abolishing the current system and brining in universal health care.

I know many of you will say 'ya right, FG couldn't do it in their dreams' or some such - but all I know is the country needs it, and it sure as sh*t is not going to happen with the other parties, as none of the others are proposing anything like it.

There is at least some chance that we will get it if FG are in, but no chance if any of the rest get in. So for that alone FG whole heartedly have my vote.

tails_naf wrote: »

This is the exact reason we need FG (alone) in the next election. They are the only ones talking about abolishing the current system and brining in universal health care.

I know many of you will say 'ya right, FG couldn't do it in their dreams' or some such - but all I know is the country needs it, and it sure as sh*t is not going to happen with the other parties, as none of the others are proposing anything like it.

There is at least some chance that we will get it if FG are in, but no chance if any of the rest get in. So for that alone FG whole heartedly have my vote.

How will they pay for it?

OPENROAD wrote: »

To be honest I find the whole private healthcare thing very confusing i.e. what is covered and what is not covered on each plan, I just buy the middle plan

But does it not explain exactly what you're entitled to on the paperwork or brochures they send you?
If I was guessing I'd say you skip any queues and get seen more quickly, get a private room to yourself and better hospital food, get to see consultants quicker etc. but I really have no idea.

queensinead wrote: »

VHI is of little use if you get pregnant. As far as I understand it covers very little, unless you have a Caesarean, which is counted as surgery.
.

I live in Limerick - no way in hell am I going public to the maternity (I have seen the public ward, my friend had her child there last December public - I was disgusted by what I saw - no way in hell, never, never going in there!)
It covers much more than that - I'm asthmatic, so if things go wrong there, I'm covered, obviously, god forbid, if I need a caesarean, covered. Anything wrong with the babies, covered. If I have to be induced, covered. If I develop any complications during pregnancy, I'm covered. I pick my doctor, that person is in charge of my health - public, not so. Scans are covered, I have less waiting times to get scanned, can demand more of them and I'm priority if something is wrong and require more scans.
There's a million and seven things that might go wrong - I'd rather have nothing wrong and unspent insurance - than something to go wrong and no insurance. Wouldn't you?

Greentopia wrote: »

Oh I know the inadequacies of public care here, that's why I do my best to stay out of it if I can at all help it! Of course serious illness and disease or injury can strike at any time-cancer, stroke, serious fall off my bicycle etc. but my way, while of course not foolproof is to try and lengthen the odds of it happening as much as possible and touch wood...

I didn't mean it's snobbery for someone to choose private if the public system is a shambles.
Obviously it makes sense for someone in this country who has a serious or chronic health condition or disease that needs treatment who has the means, to go private.
What I said was some will choose to go private regardless of how good the public system is. I lived in Sweden where they have good universal health care but there are still private hospitals catering for the rich who want that extra luxury, not because they can skip any queues or avoid ending up on trolleys like here.
Obviously the reasons people choose private are different here and understandable.

I don't get why you're even posting- this is about healthcare in Ireland and if we need private VHI here, no?
Public healthcare in Ireland is crap and it's set to go downhill from here. Swedish government obviously takes care of their people, Irish government couldn't give a crap about us. There is a major divide in treatment between public and private here.

OPENROAD wrote: »

The hospital bit is straightforward, i.e. certain covers gives you cover in private hospitals and a certain hi tech hospitals etc...., but what is confusing is the breakdown of procedures, I'v never heard of half of the illnesses especially when comparing different providers of healthcare.

And hopefully you never will
Probably best to give your insurer a ring and find out exactly what you're entitled to and covered for just in case it's ever needed. You're paying for it after all.

macquarie wrote: »

Never had health insurance, will probably never need it (male, 28) . I've never been in hospital in my life (unless visiting someone) and been to the doctor maybe once in the last 10 years. Just eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit, do some exercise, and don't smoke/drink too much and I don't see any reason why someone would be visiting doctor/hospital so much as to warrant health insurance.

OMG. I really hope someday you're not involved in a car or work accident and need long term care $$$.

You know its not always your fault when you need hospital care, that was the most ridiculous post ever.

Grassroots_FF wrote: »

Not if there was a risk of them dying. But if there's two patients in the same situation then the paying one should be treated first.

Almost everyone is paying though, through taxation, VAT, Levies etc etc. Some people pay more (including myself) for private cover.

It's a pretty bad state of affairs as a country that we are heading down the same two tiered system as the states where the amount of money you have determines your chances of living.

As I said in a previous post, this sham of "health insurance" is gonna be a big question I will have for any politicians looking for my vote (as well as a few more major issues of national importance)