Hi genevievexx,
Firstly, maternity cover is included on all plans, even male policies, as a minimum standard requirement, so it can't be excluded to save money.
The waiting times are the same with all providers for hospital cover. New customers have a 5 year waiting time for pre-existing illness and 26 week
waiting for new illness.
Are you both first time new customers for health insurance or did either of you have health insurance in the past?
The reason I ask is that there are extra loadings applied to the price of the policy if a person is over 34 years, taking out health insurance for the first time. 2% is added for every year over 34 years so if you are 47, an extra 26% will be added onto the gross price as a result. It came into effect on 1st May 2015 and is called Lifetime Community Rating.
http://www.hia.ie/consumer-information/lifetime-community-rating-explained
I'm not sure what kind of monthly or yearly budget you have in mind or what level of hospital cover you are considering.
Here are a couple of options to consider;
1. Laya Assure Vitality; per person price 499 + lcr loading %; this plan covers all the public hospitals only and would be classed as a basic entry level plan.
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2. Laya Flex 500 Explore; price 661 + lcr loading %; this plan covers all 3 levels of hospital cover, public, private and hi-tech. There is a 500 euro excess payable on admission to a private hospital, or 150 euro payable for a daycase in a private or hi-tech hospital. There is no charge for any
public hospital on admission or day case. This plan offers a lot more cover for not too much extra than a basic plan and worth considering.
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There is an extra 10% discount available if you buy either of these plans online. It will calculate the loading amount based on your details automatically, so you will know the overall cost.
If using a broker, make sure its one that specialises in health insurance.
The 2 that come to mind are Patrick Brennan
www.irishhealthinsurance.ie or Dermot Goode
www.totalhealthcover.ie
I've no connections to either and have never used a broker, apart from hearing them on the various radio shows.
Hope this gives you a few prompts in the right direction and enlightens your decision making.
Regards, Snowyb