What's the use of health insurance?

KCT

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I'm a member of BUPA and have a young family. Given the fiasco today I'm starting to wonder what is the point of having health insurance. Anytime I've had to go to hospital I've been treated in the same place and in the same way as everyone else. I'm not sure what exactly I'm getting out of it and I wonder is it the fear factor that's keeping people in these health policies. Would it really be disastrous to rely on the state, after all we're paying for that anyway. Could anyone enlighten me on why we need health insurance.
 
Re: What's the use of health insurance ??

good point! I recently changed jobs and lost my VHI, my sister works for them so I asked her should I take out my own policy- she said no don't waste your money!!!!!!!!!

I'm 26, healthy and I don't have kids but still..
 
Re: What's the use of health insurance ??

I do think it is worth it to have health insurance especially if you need to see a consultant as the waiting list in public is long.
I have health insurance for the past 10 years but only used it recently this year. If I had to go public in the south east to see an ear specialist I had to wait to 2 years for first appointment, private I saw him within 4 month, same apply for eye specialist - waiting list is shorter 6 months but saw it private within a week which was good as my condition did require urgent intervention.
 
Re: What's the use of health insurance ??

Could you not just pay to see a specialist if you wished to skip the waiting list, I don't see why you would need to have health insurance to do so or do the specialists refuse to see someone who is offering hard cash ?? If you put away a % of what you pay into these these policies so that you had a pot of money in the event of needing to skip a waiting list would you be any worse off ?
 
Re: What's the use of health insurance ??

I have a tale to tell.........

My wife's cousin maintained he never needed VHI etc. "Waste of money, I'm only 34, no kids, single, in full health, fit as a fiddle etc" So he never bothered with it.

About two years ago he fell over a couple of times for no reason. After lenghty (expensive) tests he was diagnosed with MS. AFAIK he will not be able to get cover for this for years, so is left footing the bill for medication etc.

True story.

I would never scrimp on health insurance and I hope it is a waste of money for me.
 
Re: What's the use of health insurance ??

I'm playing the devil's advocate here but would the public health system not have covered these costs and paid for medication ? I suppose I really want someone to justify for me why one would need private health insurance beyond the reason of skipping a waiting list. Given that the treatment purchase fund is available to people waiting a while for a procedure and we are pretty much all treated in the same hospitals I'm struggling to find a reason why we are all queuing up to pay what is in effect another tax for a service that we already paid for.
 
Re: What's the use of health insurance ??

About two years ago he fell over a couple of times for no reason. After lenghty (expensive) tests he was diagnosed with MS. AFAIK he will not be able to get cover for this for years, so is left footing the bill for medication etc.
If he attended hospital as a public patient on a referral from his GP then he should have be liable for no or limited hospital charges. Of course it could mean waiting lists compared to people who are going privately. But then there's the NTPF and the treatment itself will be the same whether public or private. Also - the drug payment scheme caps one's charges for certain medications at c. €85 p.m. Any unreimbursed drug/medical expenses may qualify for MED1 tax relief.
 
What's the use of health insurance for older people in thier late 70's and older?

Seriously?

Both my parents are in their 70s and use their health insurance for all the same reasons you or I would. Obviously being older they go to the doctor a bit more frequently. My dad had a heart scare, his stay in hospital was covered by insurance. Is this a serious question? The answer is so obvious, apologies if Im answering a rhetorical question.
 
Seriously?

Yes, I'm serious, but I do understand why you might be shocked.

I heard a lady on Joe Duffy today whose parent was had health insurance and who couldnt get private accomodation (these were resereved for emergencies according to the bed manager). So despite having health insurance they got the exact same treatment as was availiable in the public system. Clane private hospital would/could not take the patient. After a few weeks the health insurance did not extend to nursing home care and she is paying in excess of €3,000 for that.
 
Seriously?

Both my parents are in their 70s and use their health insurance for all the same reasons you or I would. Obviously being older they go to the doctor a bit more frequently. My dad had a heart scare, his stay in hospital was covered by insurance. Is this a serious question? The answer is so obvious, apologies if Im answering a rhetorical question.

I'm sorry, but if he went in as a public patient he wouldn't have to pay.

The main difference I can see is that some consultants are more likely to see their private patients more regularly while leaving the pubic patients to their juniors (who, incidentally can have anything up to 10 years experience). Even this is becoming less common as the older, more VHI-minded consultants are being weeded out.
 
Private health insurance does not guarantee that the level of private accommodation covered will necessarily be made available in any or all specific cases.

Private health insurance allows you to skip waiting lists and get semi/private accommodation in both cases where applicable.
 
They should get rid of the whole concept of private beds in public hospitals. It leads to two problems:

1. The perception among people that there is a two-tier system. Even if it isn't true, a public patient might feel that he is going to receive inferior treatment compared with a public patient and more attention form the consultant. The truth is that in general the footsoldiers on the ground (ie NCHDs and nurses) are essentially blind as to which patients are private or not and treat everyone the same - as they should.

2. It leads to false expectations among the private patients who feel that they are entitled to special treatment because they are paying for health insurance. Most private beds in public hospitals these days are taken up by patients with infections like MRSA and trying to explain to some stuck up so and so that they have to slum it with the public patients because of this and that their much vaunted VHI makes no difference in hospital is no fun.

As far as I'm concerned, if you have private health insurance and you want all the trappings, go to a private hospital - there are enough of them around these days.
 
If you are generally in good health, below the age of 40 and have no dependents, you shouldn't bother with private health insurance. Under the current risk equalisation system you can wait until you're 40 -45, when the risk of contracting serious illness increases, join up and pay exactly the same premium as a 21 year old.
 
With risk equalisation - younger people pay the same rate as older people (even though they do not claim )- the thing is with car insurance older people pay less than car insurance ( because they don't claim ). This appears to be a huge disparity in the insurance game!
 
If you are generally in good health, below the age of 40 and have no dependents, you shouldn't bother with private health insurance.
A possible exception might be a woman planning to have children and who wants semi/private maternity care.
 
The same applies regarding maternity care also, even with health insurance there is no guarantee the consultant will be present or that private/semi private accomadation will be provided. I really do wonder what we're actually paying for except for being able to skip a waiting list.
 
I'm sorry, but if he went in as a public patient he wouldn't have to pay.

No need to apologies gearoidmm, I dont know whether he was public or private. I actually dont know if its VHI or medical card that pays for my mums monthly medication. I do know that they think health insurance is worth it and I do know that they have claimed on their health insurance.

Ajapale, I see your point. I think its an attitude thing at the end of the day. I personally agree very much with bricktop:

I would never scrimp on health insurance and I hope it is a waste of money for me.
 
It strikes me that some people will pay health insurance no matter what the price. I think, therefore, that the leading questions should be: "What is the limit for paying health insurance?"
 
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