Do you have health insurance?

28-01-2021 2:02am

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 · 28-01-2021 10:27am

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 · 28-01-2021 10:32am

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 · 28-01-2021 10:34am

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.

28-01-2021 10:37am

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 · 28-01-2021 11:10am

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 · 28-01-2021 11:26am

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 · 28-01-2021 1:08pm

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 · 28-01-2021 1:15pm

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.

28-01-2021 1:34pm

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 · 28-01-2021 1:35pm

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 .

28-01-2021 1:44pm

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 · 28-01-2021 1:48pm

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

theteal · 28-01-2021 1:48pm

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.

Do you have health insurance?

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