I'm looking through health insurance options here. I had been covered on my wife's excellent health insurance cover but due to Covid her job is now gone, and health insurance ran out yesterday. So I've been looking at options. I haven't been to a doctor or hospital in 20 years or more. Any advice as to what I should look at would be hugely appreciated. Thanks all!
Health Insurance 46, haven't been to doc or hospital in 20 years
- Thread starter shnaek
- Start date
LAYA have a pretty good wizard to guide you through the process, you're probably ok to accept a high excess, and low everyday medical expenses for the moment - by the sounds of things you just want basic hospital cover.
Important thing is to sign up within 13 weeks (I think it is) so that you don't have to go through any issues with waiting periods or loadings for not having health insurance. You'll need the details of your previous policy.
Simply Connect Plus and Connect Simplicity are popular choices here but they may be overkill for your current needs.
Important thing is to sign up within 13 weeks (I think it is) so that you don't have to go through any issues with waiting periods or loadings for not having health insurance. You'll need the details of your previous policy.
Simply Connect Plus and Connect Simplicity are popular choices here but they may be overkill for your current needs.
Seeing as your high risk, it might be worth going to get a check up in order to decide how comprehensive a level of cover you may need. You will have waiting periods to endure if you purchase the cheapest cover now and decide to upgrade at a later date. You wont have to wait if you at least maintain the level of cover you had, and and waiting periods could be started now should you require more comprehensive care in the future.
Brendan Burgess
Founder
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Hi Itchy
Is the fact that he has no waiting periods absolutely clear cut?
My gut feeling is that he should not have a check up. If it picked something up, they would say it was a pre-existing illness and might say it wasn't covered because he had upgraded his cover.
I assume that is a small risk, but probably better not taking it.
Brendan
Is the fact that he has no waiting periods absolutely clear cut?
My gut feeling is that he should not have a check up. If it picked something up, they would say it was a pre-existing illness and might say it wasn't covered because he had upgraded his cover.
I assume that is a small risk, but probably better not taking it.
Brendan
A pre-existing condition is an ailment, illness or condition, the signs or symptoms of which existed at any time in the six months before you took out health insurance for the first time, or before you took out health insurance following a break in cover of 13 weeks or more.No absolutely agree Brendan but in this case its a question of spinning the health insurance policy roulette anyway. The poster is already gambling that he doesn't have any condition, regardless of the financial consequences. The purpose of the check up is to yield some sort of useful information on which to base a financial decision on. Worst case scenario, something is diagnosed, the best you can do is upgrade the policy, wait 2 years (assuming its within the 13 weeks).
If the reason not to get a check up is avoid a a 'pre existing' condition then the answer is stay at the same level or downgrade (you're not going to upgrade in this scenario?). You then wait for the day of reckoning and then upgrade, followed by the waiting period.
Hi shnaek,
Maybe your first point of reference could be your "wife's excellent health insurance cover". Look at that plan and see what appealed to you both about it. You could, finances permitting, re-join the same scheme provided it is a plan offered by VHI, LAYA or Irish Life. Corporate plans are open to everyone.
Given that your circumstances have now changed due to Covid-19 a less expensive plan may be an option. The HIA comparison site could be of assistance in that case.
The point made by odyssey06 re not delaying too long before taking up cover again is very important.
I hope this is helpful
Hi all, thanks for the great advice. Reading through all the policies has my head wrecked! Do I want cover in the Bons? I live in Cork so hospitals here would be of far more use than those in other cities. Not much point in the lowest cover - only reason for that is to avoid the 2%, but other than that it appears to offer nothing. But what would I be getting in the Bons anyway that I wouldn't get in CUH? More pleasant surroundings?
I do plan on getting something since I've been covered one way or another for most of my life.
Itchy - does the fact I've not been sick at all make me high risk? Or is it that you'd advise a check up every year? I'd intended on doing the VHI health check and was booked in last March as it happens but Covid put paid to that. The advice I got from friends was if there's nothing wrong with me then don't go looking, but I am thinking it's probably a good thing to get bloods checked each year now that I am in my mid forties. Is that what you would be advising?
I won't let it pass 13 weeks in any case. Just with my wife's redundancy and my own business shut down due to Covid and perhaps permanently gone I don't want to bite off more than I can chew for something I may not need at all. I do take the point that you don't need it until you do, but a lot of my colleagues believe it to be unnecessary in terms of pretty much everything these days. Having said that there's only one way our health system is going once we come out of Covid, so perhaps insurance will get you first in the door...
I do plan on getting something since I've been covered one way or another for most of my life.
Itchy - does the fact I've not been sick at all make me high risk? Or is it that you'd advise a check up every year? I'd intended on doing the VHI health check and was booked in last March as it happens but Covid put paid to that. The advice I got from friends was if there's nothing wrong with me then don't go looking, but I am thinking it's probably a good thing to get bloods checked each year now that I am in my mid forties. Is that what you would be advising?
I won't let it pass 13 weeks in any case. Just with my wife's redundancy and my own business shut down due to Covid and perhaps permanently gone I don't want to bite off more than I can chew for something I may not need at all. I do take the point that you don't need it until you do, but a lot of my colleagues believe it to be unnecessary in terms of pretty much everything these days. Having said that there's only one way our health system is going once we come out of Covid, so perhaps insurance will get you first in the door...