Other already pregnant,no previous health insurance-is it worth joining one now

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evelyn77

Guest
found out that i'm 9 weeks pregnant today.
i don't have any private health insurance previously.
My due date is early November, 31 weeks from now.
i read about waiting period of 52 weeks for new customer before one can avail of maternity benefit, and i figure that this will be no use for me then. am i right in saying so? ( or can i claim the maternity expenses after i finish the 52 weeks-something like backdated claim?)
I am thinking of having elective C-section, i guess one have to pay for elective one even if i go under the public system in the hospital?
I'm planning to see the consultant semi-privately (in Holles Street) for the more important check-like anomaly scan, prior giving birth etc but i don't mind attending the routine antenatal clinic led by midwives, and i don't mind staying in public ward.
Can the arrangement above be done ? if one is seeing the consultant semi-privately they must stay on semi-private ward??
Am confuse with the health insurance available and their cover, also the maternity service/system.
can someone please advice, any suggestions/advice greatly appreciated!
 
From memory in Hollis St. There is not much difference between Public and Semi Private, except you pay for Semi Private, scans and the rooms. The waiting area for Public/Midwife looks dated, but one does not exist for in the semi private area. It is just a narrow corridor with chars and people queuing in an odd hoc order. The difference in the hospital rooms is one less bed per room and I think a better choice of food. You are also less lightly to be sharing a room with a members a lower social class... The difference between the doctors is being seen by a member of "the team" in semi private and one of the doctors on duty if public. In reality there is no difference, when we went public we ended up with one of the same 3 Drs and the same when Semi Private, never saw the consultant we were under. The end result is was the decision to go Midwife next time, as there was little or no waiting to see her.

Conclusion, don't bother paying for semi private, even with health insurance.
 
You won't get an elective section either unless you can affor Mt Carmel, unless it is medically necessary its not something you can just have.

You can't get maternity cover now, its too late. You can pay for private scans at any time. You can't see the consultant semi-privately without insurance.
 
Don't forget if anything goes wrong in Mount Carmel they will ship you back to Hollis St.
 
You can't pick and choose a mixture of semi-private and public care in Irish hospitals,
If you are a semi-private patient of a consulant, you have a semi-private room,
and you pay for all scans etc. The cost of a C-section is quite high, once you have paid for the surgery, the aneastetist, all lab work and aftercare,

If you end up in hospital for longer than the the standard 3 days, for whatever reason, the costs will really mount up and without insurance, you could end up with a hefty bill. Hospitals are very wary of semi-private patients with no insurance because of the risk of not being paid.

You realyl have not choice other than to be a piblic patient and pay a private clinic for a scan yourself. Many of these clinics need a referral letter, but your GP should give you one easily.
 
you cant decide to have an elective section as mentioned above. Id question the doc who allows you to do this if you find one!!!!! There is a waiting period before being able to claim maternity benefit so unless you can fork out the whole cost out of your own pocket, then you'll have to go public.
Congrats on the news by the way!!
 
evelyn77 said:
I'm planning to see the consultant semi-privately (in Holles Street) for the more important check-like anomaly scan, prior giving birth etc but i don't mind attending the routine antenatal clinic led by midwives, and i don't mind staying in public ward.
Click to expand...

Like some other posters have said,the public system sounds like your best option and I would highly recommend the community midwife scheme.- excellent and completely free.
The public system is perfectly good-there is no need to go to a consultant for the anomoly scan, prior to giving birth etc....the midwives have plenty of experience- the idea that you need a consultant for 'important check' is simply silly...if you are found to need special attention in your pregnancy, you will get it through the public system- and you will get a c-section if you need it- i.e if there is a valid medical reason for it ( it is a serious operation).
As another poster said, the likes of Mount Carmel is fine if the birth is uncomplicated but if there is a emergency then they will have to transport you to one of the maternity hospitals...
However, for most uncomplicated births, midwives do most of the work- a consultant is not necessary- so save your money and go public.
 
gerpug said:
you cant decide to have an elective section as mentioned above. Id question the doc who allows you to do this if you find one!!!!! There is a waiting period before being able to claim maternity benefit so unless you can fork out the whole cost out of your own pocket, then you'll have to go public.
Congrats on the news by the way!!
Click to expand...

I agree, there has been a huge increase in the numbers of C Section births here in the past 10 - 15 years, but you find the Obstetrician elects to do it for medical reasons which are known prior to labour or due to the fear a complication which may arise during labour having a serious consequence. The main benefit of Private or Semiprivate care is less waiting time for ante-natal visits and a quieter room after birth. For the big issue which is health be assured we have one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. look after yourself and enjoy the next period in your life while trying not to worry.
 
Magpie said:
You won't get an elective section either unless you can affor Mt Carmel, unless it is medically necessary its not something you can just have.

You can't get maternity cover now, its too late. You can pay for private scans at any time. You can't see the consultant semi-privately without insurance.
Click to expand...

Mount Carmel are not the only hospital that do elective C-sections, but you would probably need to be a fully private patient to get one.

gerpug said:
you cant decide to have an elective section as mentioned above. Id question the doc who allows you to do this if you find one!!!!! There is a waiting period before being able to claim maternity benefit so unless you can fork out the whole cost out of your own pocket, then you'll have to go public.
Congrats on the news by the way!!
Click to expand...


One in four births (one and three privately) in this country are now by c-section and its quite an old fashioned view to 'question' any consultant who would let you have one.

There are many reasons why a woman chooses to have an elective or scheduled section and those reasons are between her and her consultant.
 
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