(test of new format) Hi tech hospitals, orthopaedic cover. Don't care about everyday expenses

Brendan Burgess

Brendan Burgess

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OK, I am going to try out a new Standard Format for posts in this forum.

My plan is that the poster specifies what they are looking for and what conclusion they have come to.

Then others can comment on it and suggest alternatives

It's a WIP so please feel free to comment on the format and not just the result.
 
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please specify what cover you want:
Do you want cover in the Blackrock Clinic and Mater Private: Yes
Do you want cover in the Beacon? : Yes
Other private hospitals: Yes
Everyday expenses: No
Happy to pay a big excess in exchange for a lower premium: Yes
Maternity cover: No
Child healthcare: No
Fertility: No
Full orthopaedic and ophthalmic cover: Yes

This is the HIA comparison website ranking.

1767703272469.webp

Should these be incorporated? For example, what difference does Urgent Care make?
 
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Result:

Laya - Control 600 Connect : €1,770

Hi tech hospital cover
€650 excess for every hospital stay
Nightly shortfall in Blackrock and Mater Private: €350
Cost of 4 nights in Blackrock: €350 x 4 = €1400 + €650 excess = €2,050

Other private hospitals
€650 excess for every hospital stay

Everyday expenses - Effectively no cover
€150 excess
€20 per GP Visit
€40 per consultant visit

Example: See a consultant 4 times a year - Laya pays 4 x €40 = €160 - €150 excess = €10
 
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Laya Simply Health Plus seems to be closest comparable policy

It reduces the excesses on general hospital stays but has a 20% excess on orthopaedic and ophthalmic procedures.

Beacon inpatient excess: €125 + €165 per night for a private room.
Blackrock and Mater Private excess : €125 + €175 per night
Specified Orthopaedic and Ophthalmic procedures: 20% shortfall

So if I spend 4 nights in Blackrock, it will cost me €825 (€175 x 4 + €125) - compared to €2,050
But if I am getting a new hip which costs €15,000 - I will pay €3,000 of it myself compared to full cover under the Control 600 Connect.

Everyday expenses have much better cover
They pay 50% of the cost less an excess of €1.
So 4 consultants visits at €150 + 4 GPs at €60 = €840 in total - of which Laya will give me back €420
 
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Think you need to split the Dublin HiTech into 2.
Excluding Blackrock/Mater makes a difference. They seem to apply a special premium to have these 2 and I find that a reasonable way to keep premium down.
 
Sue Ellen said:
Urgent Care refers to the say VHI Carrickmines 360 clinic then I would put that on a par with Breakdown Service on a motor policy and, therefore, very important.
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You still have to pay something so not comparable. And only 5 centres in the country. No use to someone in Donegal. So really just a "nice to have".
 
Sue Ellen said:
Looking at this list of approved hospitals from VHI the only two High-Tech in Dublin are Blackrock and Mater Private and Classed as Private 4. Beacon and Hermitage are Private 3.
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Thats interesting. In Laya the extra cost to have Blackrock and Mater is about 550 using a comparison of say signify care and simply health plus.
So what do they offer as a "hitech" that the Beacon doesn't. They spend a lot on advertising. Is it a brand thing ? Are people being fooled like a car badge ? I dont know the answer but just know the cost puts health care beyond me so i dropped it.
 
JoeRoberts said:
what do they offer as a "hitech" that the Beacon doesn't.
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I think that the rooms are cheaper. The Beacon are mainly semi-private. I think that the Mater and Blackrock Clinic are all private rooms.

In the HIA comparison tool, they describe it as
1767785754364.webp


But is it just hi tech for the heart? If you click on the question mark, you get

1767785803894.webp


If I am living in Cork, presumably I won't choose a Dublin hospital?
 
Brendan Burgess said:
I think that the Mater and Blackrock Clinic are all private rooms.
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Mater Private (Dublin) has semi-private rooms:
www.materprivate.ie

Your Hospital Stay | For Patients & Visitors | Mater private Network

Your care is our main priority. We endeavour to make your stay as comfortable as possible here at Mater Private. We have compiled a list of information to help you prepare for your stay, to plan what to pack and also, to help us plan for your admission.
www.materprivate.ie www.materprivate.ie
There are private and semi-private rooms on all wards. With the exception of the Intensive Care Unit, high-dependency and step-down units, all rooms are single sex rooms.
Click to expand...
 
JoeRoberts said:
Thats interesting. In Laya the extra cost to have Blackrock and Mater is about 550 using a comparison of say signify care and simply health plus.
So what do they offer as a "hitech" that the Beacon doesn't. They spend a lot on advertising. Is it a brand thing ? Are people being fooled like a car badge ? I dont know the answer but just know the cost puts health care beyond me so i dropped it.
Click to expand...
I could be talking rubbish here but when a doctor is becoming a consultant, the Mater Public Hospital would be regarded as a more prestigious appointment than pretty much any other hospital in the country. As such they would tend to have the pick of the crop. The Mater is also a very busy hospital giving its doctors plenty of opportunity to continuing gaining experience that wouldn't be available elsewhere. This then gives the Mater Private access to what many would regard as the best pool of specialists in the country for which there's obviously no shortage of people prepared to pay over the odds.
 
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