VHI Health Insurance for over 90yrs of age

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AlbacoreA

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Just wondering about insurance (VHI) about an older person 90+ with a few age related issues, living alone, with home help, fairly reduced mobility has a gp card only. Currently on Healthy Plus Excess. Is this still appropriate.

Someone in the family suggested they don't need insurance at this age and that the public system is sufficient. Which seemed a little harsh to me. I think you still need it even if in a nursing home. Why wouldn't you? Maybe I'm missing something obvious.

So is insurance and specifically Healthy Plus Excess still appropriate?
 
Hi Albacore,

If the person has a gp only medical card, well then they would need some sort of health insurance because in the public hospital system there
is a nightly charge of 80 euro x 10 = 800 per year if admitted for a stay. The gp only medical card wouldn't cover this charge.

The plan they are on at the moment, while a fine plan, is very expensive. There are cheaper alternatives that would cover the same hospitals
and day to day medical expenses. The best equivalent plan would be with Laya healthcare.

1. Laya Simply Connect; price 1230pa; all public, private and 3 hi-tech hospitals covered, private excess capped at 150 x 2 max per year for all
admissions. Day case excess 50 per procedure. Good day to day cover included, 50% refund for consultants, physio etc upto a max refund of
500 per year. Note; there is no excess to pay in any public hospital and the health insurance will cover the 80 per night hospital charge.

2. Laya Simplicity plan; price 1370pa; all public, private( including private room fully covered) and 3 hi-tech hospitals covered, private excess capped at 100 x 2 max per year for all admissions. Day case excess 50 per procedure. Good day to day cover included, 50% refund for consultants, physio etc - the first 100 not allowed. Note; there is no excess to pay in any public hospital and the health insurance will cover the 80 per night hospital charge.

3. VHI Health Access; price 1756pa; same cover as VHI Healthplus Excess but with a private excess of 125 per admission and per day case
procedure.
https://www.hia.ie/comparison-tool/...vY2siOmZhbHNlLCJwbGFuX2RldGFpbF9pZCI6LTF9fV0=

What part of the country is the 90 year old relative living in and what hospitals would be nearest to them?

Regards, Snowyb
 
Dublin.

There seems a big difference in those VHI vs Laya plans are they comparable?

Thanks again for your help
 
Hi Albacore,

The plan that your relative is on at the moment covers a hip or knee replacement in all private hospitals.
The Health Access plan that I mentioned is the cheapest VHI alternative plan that covers hip and knee replacement surgery
in all private or hi-tech hospitals.
The majority of VHI plans just cover 80% for this type of surgery in private/hi-tech hospitals.
This 20% shortfall would cost the patient 2k-3k per surgery.

The majority of Laya plans fully cover this surgery in private/hi-tech hospitals as standard.
Also, as they live in Dublin, there is a way to avoid the 2-3k shortfall. The Blackrock Clinic don't pass this charge onto the patient
so thats an option to avoid it. Realisitically, it would be very unusual for a 90 something to have major surgery, if at all possible.
There is nothing extra on the Healthplus Excess plan, compared to the Laya plan, only a saving of 500+.
The Laya plans would have better day to day cover, with a 1 euro excess.

There are a few alternative options with VHI with 80% cover for hip/knee surgery worth considering.

1. VHI PMI 07 10; price 1240pa; all public, private and 3 hi-tech hospitals covered, private/hi-tech excess capped at 150 x 1 max per year
for all private hospital admissions, day case excess 50 per procedure. There is no excess to pay in any public hospital. Good day to day cover
on this plan, 50% refund for consultants, physio etc. For anyone reading this outside Dublin, there is no cover for Whitfield Clinic Waterford or
Kingsbridge private hospital Sligo.

2. VHI Company Plan Plus Level 1.3; price 1193pa. Same hospital cover as before, private excess 150 per admission and 50 excess per day
case procedure. Good day to day included.

The above 2 plans are as cheap as you can go, if you want day to day cover included.
Cheaper options have very limited day to day cover, or a higher excess, or less hi-tech hospital cover(hi-tech is Blackrock Clinic and Mater Private)
These options would include the following;
1. VHI PMI 37 13; price 1147pa; same hospital cover, limited day to day.
2. VHI PMI 40 15; price 1108pa; public, private and just cardiac and orthopaedic in hi-tech hospitals, limited day to day.
3. VHI One Plan 150; price 996pa; public, private and just Beacon hi-tech cover, limited day to day.
https://www.hia.ie/comparison-tool/#/plan-comparison?plansAndProfiles=W3siaWQiOjEsImFnZSI6MjYsIm1pbk1heFByaWNlIjpbMCw2NTAwXSwibWluTWF4RXhjZXNzIjpbMCw2MDBdLCJwbGFuVHlwZSI6MSwicGxhbnNTZWxlY3RlZCI6WzEyOTEsMTUzOSwxMjgxLDEzMjBdLCJwbGFucyI6eyJkYXRhIjpbXSwibG9hZGluZyI6dHJ1ZX0sInBsYW5zU2VsZWN0ZWREYXRhIjpbXSwiYXBwbGljYXRpb24iOnsidG9nZ2xlX3Njcm9sbExvY2siOmZhbHNlLCJwbGFuX2RldGFpbF9pZCI6LTF9fV0=

Finally, whilst I wouldn't drop health insurance altogether for a 90 year old person, realistically they would be reluctant to do surgery on a person
in the 90s, unless it was unavoidable. So, you can still cover all options at a much lower price, in case its needed.
The plan they have at the moment is too expensive and doesn't have anything extra that the plans for 1000 - 1200 already have.
They are from the old Plan B range, way over priced and outdated.

Regards, Snowyb
 
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Definitely wouldn't be cancelling it, the 'someone in family' who suggested it must not have spent time in A&E with an elderly person! Now I know you can end up in A&E anyway if it's an emergency but at least the option of private hospital is there with health insurance if not an acute emergency.

Lately my 88 yr old father needed to go to hospital, could have been dealt with in private hospital using private ambulance but they unfortunately had not got a bed at that time so public through A&E was only other option. Inhumane to say the very least!

It was unfortunate that private hospital didn't have a bed and on most other occasions we were lucky that they had, a couple of trips to A&E especially for an elderly person feeling unwell and stuck on a trolley in a hallway is not pleasant and to be avoided if at all possible.
 
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