Healthcare costs - not insurance Entitlement to Overseas Health Treatment

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Haille

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I do not have private health insurance.I have asked my GP to make an appointment with a knee surgeon.I have a baker’s cyst and a meniscus tear in my knee , running related.I am a seasoned runner.{ No I am not looking for advice on my health issue just advice on health entitlement) If the surgeon advises treatment I have the option of joining the public waiting list.If the current waiting list is 2 years? Is it possible to seek treatment in another EU state if the surgeon recommends it or do I have to join the public waiting list for a year first before I qualify for EU treatment abroad? I am 65 years of age , never had private health insurance as I was hoping Fine Gael would have delivered on their commitment to universal health coverage in the past.Instead they just added loadings to private health insurance based on age. No point on me getting private health insurance now as I would not qualify for my knee treatment as it is an existing condition.?Of course there are numerous other conditions that I might suffer from.
 
Haille said:
nstead they just added loadings to private health insurance based on age.
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There are no age loadings on private health insurance. There are loadings age related loadings on taking out health insurance for the first time.
 
Separate to the treatment abroad scheme is the cross border directive. https://www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/cross-border-directive/
Under this you can get a referral from a GP instead of a public consultant. This will save the waiting time to see a public consultant. You would then need to see a private consultant abroad. They would diagnose/treat you etc. You pay for all of it yourself, then submit a claim to the HSE for reimbursement. They have a fixed tariff for what they will pay out. They only pay out what it would cost the HSE in Ireland for treatments. They usually don't reimburse full costs for things like outpatient consultant appointments.

You can apply for prior notification which is where, after you see your consultant abroad but prior to receiving treatment/surgery etc, you submit your info in advanced to see what they would likely approve. It's optional but I would highly recommend this.
 
Starrynights said:
Separate to the treatment abroad scheme is the cross border directive. https://www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/cross-border-directive/
Under this you can get a referral from a GP instead of a public consultant. This will save the waiting time to see a public consultant. You would then need to see a private consultant abroad. They would diagnose/treat you etc. You pay for all of it yourself, then submit a claim to the HSE for reimbursement. They have a fixed tariff for what they will pay out. They only pay out what it would cost the HSE in Ireland for treatments. They usually don't reimburse full costs for things like outpatient consultant appointments.

You can apply for prior notification which is where, after you see your consultant abroad but prior to receiving treatment/surgery etc, you submit your info in advanced to see what they would likely approve. It's optional but I would highly recommend this.
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Many thanks
 
Just wondering what is the main difference between the cross border directive and the Health Care Abroad scheme? Is the reimbursement the same for EU treatment and for treatment in Northern Ireland.Most of the Health Care Abroad hospitals seem to be located in Spain? Is the advantage of the Northern Ireland treatment is you can attend consultant first for diagnosis.?
 
The cross boarder directive is an EU directive. Since the UK left the EU the scheme has been kept alive with Northern Ireland under a different name. Northern Ireland Planned Healthcare Scheme (NIPHS) but it looks to work in basically the same way.


It appears treatment abroad scheme is for treatment which is not available in Ireland or not available in the time it normally takes in Ireland. It looks to be referred from a public consultant only. If agreed to, the HSE cover the medical expenses in advance, rather than you pay and claim back. But as you said there probably are a fixed set of hospitals the HSE will send you to.

Cross boarder works as I explained above. It's more for your right to get treated anywhere in the EU. There doesn't appear to be any need for long waiting lists. But it's only for treatment available in Ireland. It looks like you must be a public patient in your home country ( a GP referral appears to meet this) and then you go privately abroad under your own expense. You then claim back from your home country's health service and they pay only what it would have cost them.
 
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