Health Insurance Returning to Ireland and confused about options

[ReesesPieces]

Hi - i've been reading around the forum and doing online searches to get ideas about health insurance and while its very helpful nothing seems to quite match our circumstances.

I'm 33, have been living in the UK for most of the past ten years and haven't had health insurance in that time. I feel like I should take it out now we're back in Ireland as I'm aware I'm facing an age loading otherwise, but I'm struggling to see the benefits for us at the moment in the options I've looked at. I have no interest in private hospitals or private rooms. My main concerns are minimising waiting lists for tests, and being covered if it turns out I develop some sort of chronic condition.

I recently experienced a family member going through the public system with a cancer diagnosis, and to be honest, was very impressed with their care. With the exception of being on a ward rather than a private room, there didn't seem to be any difference. My assumption is that this was because the diagnosis was picked up in routine screening, and there might have been a long wait for tests otherwise, but it reassured me that my main concerns would be cutting down test waiting times, and being able to access ongoing treatment if i developed something chronic that isn't prioritised in the way life-saving treatments are.

At the moment, my husband continues to work in the UK and is covered by the NHS - he travels over and back, but we are hoping he'll find work here (this is a permanent move) and we'll sort him out then - he is older but I dont' think the loading will apply till he's back in Ireland. It is likely we will have a baby in the next year or so, but again my hope would be to use the Domino scheme which is midwife-led and through the public system, based on recommendations from friends. However I'm aware there may be benefits I'm not aware of (we've no children at the moment)

Is there a no-frills option that would suit me? Are there other benefits I'm not factoring in? Everything seems to push the private rooms and access to blackrock clinic etc - if I were sick, i'd like to be close to family (Coombe/Vincents in Dublin) and would prefer to be on a ward. Is there anything available on the market that matches this?

 

[snowyb]

ReesesPieces,

Welcome to AAM.
There is a no-frills option with Glohealth that would suit your preferences, minimising waiting for tests and full cover for the public hospitals only.

1. Kick Off Plan; price 510pa( price increase to 589pa from 1 Dec 2016); public hospital cover only, direct cover for MRI and CT- scans in approved list of scan centres, 60% cover for same scans in private hospitals - see attached link for list of scan centres. Other types of scans like ultrasound,x-rays etc are payable upfront and a partial refund is claimable at renewal date after a year.

The disadvantage of a public hospital only plan, is that you would go on the same general waiting list for surgery as people with no health insurance.
The public hospital waiting lists are an issue, depending on the type of surgery you could be waiting 1-2+ years.
However, Glohealth Kick Off plan has a unique feature whereby you can upgrade to a private hospital plan called 'Kick Off Upgrade plan' to avail of surgery in a private hospital, outside of renewal date - you just notify Glohealth with 2 weeks of surgery date. So you pay for a basic hospital plan and only upgrade if necessary.
There is a one year maternity waiting time for new customers but you don't have to use your health insurance for maternity.
Maternity care wouldbe the same regardless.

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List of hospitals and approved scan centres covered under Glohealth Kick Off plan;
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As an alternative option, just to show you the price difference for a plan covering public and private hospitals, the following plan is good value;

2. Kick Off Plus plan; price 825pa ( price increase to 866pa from 1 Dec 2016) public and private hospitals covered, there is a private excess of
300 payable on admission to a private hospital for surgery or treatment, day case excess 75 in a private hospital.
Full cover for MRI and CT scans in approved list of public and private centres - see above link.

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NOTE; newborns are covered for free if added to a policy within 13 weeks of birth. After that Glohealth have certain plans with free cover for under
three years.

Regards, Snowyb