Health Insurance Is there a policy with no 2 year upgrade rule?

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toby2111

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My elderly parents are paying €1200 a year to VHI for a very basic policy that basically covers nothing, apart from semi private in a public hospital. My mam needs to see a respiratory consultant and I fear he may ask her to stay in for a few days of testing. She has no cover for this in a private hospital and I don't want her going on public list as it'll take too long. So could I switch them onto a policy that even covers semi private in a private without that 2 year upgrade rule? I thought I read of some health insurance company offering this but am not sure. We don't mind having to pay an excess. Thanks
 
toby60%2111,

Unfortunately, there is no policy without that 2 year upgrade rule. There was a plan called 'Kick Off' plan with Glohealth, but when Irish Life
took over the company, they changed the details of the cover. This plan did have a facility to upgrade to a private hospital plan with no
2 year waiting attached, but Irish Life Health changed it to a plan with 65% private hospital cover instead.

What plan are your parents on with VHI at the moment?

Regards, Snowyb
 
Hi snowyb,
They are on One Plan Access. But my dad has just told me that he rang today to enquire about cover in Bon Secours Hospital so the girl put him on One Plan 500. He asked about waiting period, she said there was 26 week period. He said he wasn't going to sign up so she agreed to waive this....... I find that very strange but he got her name, wrote down exactly what she said and he asked her over & over again to confirm the waiting period was waived which she did.... I'm still suspicious of that but and fear that they won't pay out if she has to be admitted. I know there's an excess of €500 but surely they don't just waive waiting periods... Or do they?
 
toby2111,

The main detail to confirm is whether the waiting time is waived for a pre-existing condition.

It does sound incorrect, as the upgrade waiting for extra hospital cover is 2 years.
The day to day upgrade waiting time is 26 weeks.
In saying that, nothing would surprise me. They can use discretion in certain circumstances to waive waiting times but it would need
to be confirmed that a pre-existing condition/illness is included in the waiver.

Their original plan One Plan Access has 60% private hospital cover so you could enquire about shortfall amounts if it arises.

The consultant may work in both public and private hospitals and they do have discretion based on medical need to admit a person to the
public hospital straight away if required. The public wait may not be as long as expected, if deemed urgent by the consultant but thats
unknown at this stage.

If it turns out to be a gift horse in the mouth, ie a full waiver with no upgrade waiting, well done to them.

Regards, Snowyb
 
Is there waiting time for a new condition? My mam just this evening at 7pm got an appointment for next Thursday in the Bon Secours....
 
 
Thanks snowyb.
I honestly think they hoodwinked my Dad earlier today by waiving the 26 week waiting period. As you said, that applies to day to day things not hospital admittance. My dad threatened to cancel all cover speech the girl said she'd waive that 26 week waiting period. He thought that was for hospital admittance. They have a medical card so they don't even have to claim day to day expenses so her waiver actually means nothing (if it's for day to day). I honestly hate what these insurance companies(car, health, travel) say and do to trick elderly people. There's too many policies with too much small detail for me to understand let alone a 79 year old man.

I'm getting dad to ring tomorrow and pass the phone over to me so I can ascertain exactly what the waiver is for. But I reckon it's only for day to day.
 
I can't fathom why insurance companies offer these useless public hospital only policies. A complete waste of money, for a few hundred more you get access to a private hospital.
 
Very true. My parents were paying €1700 a year for basically rubbish cover. But they're nearly 80 and can't use a computer so they have stuck with VHI Plan A, or it's equivalent, for most of their lives even though the covet has dropped dramatically over the years.
 
I would like to know the purpose of having a public hospital only policy if you have to go on the same waiting list as non Insured public patients for elective surgery. It just does not make sense.
 
Exactly. And charge €1700 for a couple for it! It's criminal and it's playing on elderly people who don't have the wherewithal to move plan /provider. I'll be keeping a closer eye on my parents health insurance from now on.
 
delfio said:
I would like to know the purpose of having a public hospital only policy if you have to go on the same waiting list as non Insured public patients for elective surgery. It just does not make sense.
Click to expand...

A recent prime time special shows this isn't the case!
 
Do they get to jump the queue for elective surgery? As afar as I am aware there is only one waiting list for all patients in public hospitals. The OP's post outlines that his parents public only policy is next to useless.
 
delfio said:
Do they get to jump the queue for elective surgery? As afar as I am aware there is only one waiting list for all patients in public hospitals. The OP's post outlines that his parents public only policy is next to useless.
Click to expand...

Yes, a consultant who works both privately and publically can book time in the operating theatre of a public hospital and operate on private patients, and they stay in private or semi private room in the public hospital and are charged as a private patient.
 
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