I currently have vhi plan a with healthsteps gold - I know I probably should have had a higher level of cover but at the time I couldn't see much of a difference between the plans and I've only ever used healthsteps to claim back doctor and physiotherapist fees.
Anyway, my issue at the moment is that my doctor informed me yesterday that a routine test I had a couple of months ago came back saying I needed to go for treatment. So I dropped into the doctor today to get the referral letter and brought it to the hospital. I was told there was a 5 month waiting list so I asked about going private and was given the phone number. I called the private clinic and they asked about insurance, told them I had plan a but they said I'd need at least plan b.
So, I applied to upgrade my policy today (side note - do vhi deliberately hire braindead call centre staff?) but there's a 6 month waiting period and 5 years for a pre-existing condition (I assume that's what my procedure will be considered). The cost of the treatment without insurance is €430 to begin with plus extra for the additional follow up treatment I'll most likely need and once I start off private I won't be allowed to go back public.
So, I suppose I'm wondering if there's any insurance company I can join that has a shorter waiting period or that won't consider my treatment a pre-existing condition.
I know'll I'll probably have no choice but to wait but I'm really worried and I know I'm going to spend the next 5 months worried sick. Well, it'll probably be more than 5 months because otherwise that'll be christmas! And then it'll be another 5 or 6 months for further treatment so I have to let my condition get worse for the next year!!! Now I'm really starting to panic!!
Would it be practical to put the private costs on my credit card (could end up being a couple of thousand) and then get a small personal loan to pay it off in addition to paying extra off my credit card it month? Surely my health is worth it??
Sorry for the long post, I'm just really upset and worried at the moment
Anyway, my issue at the moment is that my doctor informed me yesterday that a routine test I had a couple of months ago came back saying I needed to go for treatment. So I dropped into the doctor today to get the referral letter and brought it to the hospital. I was told there was a 5 month waiting list so I asked about going private and was given the phone number. I called the private clinic and they asked about insurance, told them I had plan a but they said I'd need at least plan b.
So, I applied to upgrade my policy today (side note - do vhi deliberately hire braindead call centre staff?) but there's a 6 month waiting period and 5 years for a pre-existing condition (I assume that's what my procedure will be considered). The cost of the treatment without insurance is €430 to begin with plus extra for the additional follow up treatment I'll most likely need and once I start off private I won't be allowed to go back public.
So, I suppose I'm wondering if there's any insurance company I can join that has a shorter waiting period or that won't consider my treatment a pre-existing condition.
I know'll I'll probably have no choice but to wait but I'm really worried and I know I'm going to spend the next 5 months worried sick. Well, it'll probably be more than 5 months because otherwise that'll be christmas! And then it'll be another 5 or 6 months for further treatment so I have to let my condition get worse for the next year!!! Now I'm really starting to panic!!
Would it be practical to put the private costs on my credit card (could end up being a couple of thousand) and then get a small personal loan to pay it off in addition to paying extra off my credit card it month? Surely my health is worth it??
Sorry for the long post, I'm just really upset and worried at the moment