VHI Teachers Plan (as an alternative to VHI B Options)

[treasure]

Last year VHI contacted me to suggest I join the new Teachers Plan, which I did and saved €200 compared to the Plan B I was on. The cover is practically the same. I just got my renewal form and was surprised to find that it had not increased - at €695. So if there are any teachers out there, you should check it out.

 

[Sunny]

Anyone can join it. Despite the title it's not just for teachers. All plans offered by health insurance companies must be available to everyone.

 

[pj111]

Much better plan than Plan B. Increased cover for cardiac & special procedures in High Tech hospitals. Slight decrease for general procedures in high techs but probably not as important as the former as there still full cover in the Beacon. Increased cover for maternity in private hospitals, your outpatient excess has dropped to less than half what it was and more money back on consultants visits. Your also getting increased overseas cover for A&E.

Everyone can get the policy but not at the rate treasure is getting it though!

Patrick

 

[Derry]

Thanks to this post I switched today from Plan B options to the teachers plan . I saved over 427 euro ( My self & DH) . before making this switch our premium was E 985.86 x 2 = E1971.12 Now its been reduced to E 1544.00 so it is a very good saving. My renewal date was 1st January 2011. But if it had been on the 1st February I am sure it would have been a massive saving altogether. I was a serving teacher for a few years but I never even knew VHI had this plan !!! also as my husband & I are over 70 we are very happy with this so once again thanks to Pj111 and Nova Flare for their sound advice to others. It certainly helped us. God bless you all.

 

[pj111]

You're more than welcome Derry.

In fact it looks even better if you consider that the cost of B options will be €1,429.49 in 6 days time! That means your renewal premium would have been €2,858.98!

Patrick

 

[Kano]

The Teachers plan looks like an excellent alternative to Plan B Options.
It looks like the best value for money hospital cover plan .

 

[Derry]

Thank you so much Patrick . I havent received the literature from VHI yet but I am sure I will soon. The one main worry we had was whether my Husband would have full cover for an angiogram in the Blackrock clinic with the teachers plan. he had to have one 2 years ago and VHI coverd the cost in full . The VHI man assured me the other day that with the teachers plan he will have the same cover for it as Plan B options. So thats why i was more than happy to change. Yes indeed we have had a massive saving with changing plans. Hope they dont increase the cost of this one too much next year. But can you or Nova Flare tell me why the Teachers Plan is so reasonable while they are increasing Plan B options so much?? when they have the same cover more or less?

 

[NovaFlare77]

Thank you so much Patrick . I havent received the literature from VHI yet but I am sure I will soon. The one main worry we had was whether my Husband would have full cover for an angiogram in the Blackrock clinic with the teachers plan. he had to have one 2 years ago and VHI coverd the cost in full . The VHI man assured me the other day that with the teachers plan he will have the same cover for it as Plan B options. So thats why i was more than happy to change. Yes indeed we have had a massive saving with changing plans. Hope they dont increase the cost of this one too much next year. But can you or Nova Flare tell me why the Teachers Plan is so reasonable while they are increasing Plan B options so much?? when they have the same cover more or less?

I'd say it's because as a newer plan, it doesn't have the same claims or age profile as Plan B or B Options. Also, VHI aren't openly marketing it to a general audience, so there'll be comparatively smaller membership as well.

This thread also discusses Plan B's larger price increase in general, might be worth a read.

 

[pj111]

Not necessary!

It would appear that Tressure is getting their policy with a 10% group rate discount which applies to most companies/organisations.

No quite true this is a discount that is available via teacher salary deduction and is not available to non teachers.

 

[pj111]

No. You won't get that price if you ring up, they won't discount it for group schemes. 10% discount is at the companies discretion as mentioned on previous threads.

 

[scuby]

No quite true this is a discount that is available via teacher salary deduction and is not available to non teachers.

Anyone can take out this plan, you do not have to be a techer. you can pay through direct debit

No. You won't get that price if you ring up, they won't discount it for group schemes. 10% discount is at the companies discretion as mentioned on previous threads.

if you join online, or are a member of credit union, or work group scheme, you can get 10% discount

 

[pj111]

Anyone can join it. Despite the title it's not just for teachers. All plans offered by health insurance companies must be available to everyone.

Yes scuby, as stated already above sunny. However the price quoted is most likely incusive of the discount. The 10% dicount for credit union members etc is available to everyone, online or otherwise.

Treasure is gettin a 10% discount off a non discounted price. Most likely because she is a teacher paying through a salary deduction scheme.

Patrick

 

[NovaFlare77]

Yes scuby, as stated already above sunny. However the price quoted is most likely incusive of the discount. The 10% dicount for credit union members etc is available to everyone, online or otherwise.

Treasure is gettin a further 10% discount off the already discounted price. Most likey because she is a teacher paying through a salary deduction scheme. The €772.22 price already has the initial 10% discount included.

Patrick

Just on that last line (and not specifically directed at you pj); if a price already includes a 10% group scheme discount, it can't include any further discounts. The legislation behind community rating doesn't allow it.

In this case, I think it's more likely that the €772.22 price is the pre-discount price, and that VHI are selective about who gets the discount. A quick google search shows this page on the TUI's website which states:

Best of all…Teachers’ Plan costs just €695* per year for an adult - student €250*; child €200*

* These rates are applicable to members who pay by direct debit though a new Vhi Healthcare group scheme called “The Teachers Group Scheme”. If you pay through your salary deduction, the rates are €772.22 adult, €277.78 student, €222.22 child

€772.22 is also the adult price on the HIA's website, so the only way to get a discount on this plan is via the Teachers Group Scheme and to pay by direct debit (assuming the TUI's website is up to date).

This raises an issue for VHI about how they advertise group scheme discounts if it's not clear that the discount isn't applicable to all schemes. However, I haven't seen VHI promitional literature in a good while, so it might already be factored in.

 

[pj111]

Yes you are right, it is the non discounted price. It works the same way as the Company Plans - everyone is entitled to purchase but you are not entitled to 10% discount despite what the newspapers say or journalists on the radio.

 

[Kano]

Vhi is reducing orthopaedic and ophthalmic benefits on certain plans for renewals from 1st February 2011. The benefit paid for hospital charges for participating private hospitals for specified hip, knee and shoulder joint replacement procedures and specified ophthalmic procedures is being reduced from 100% of the cost to 80% of the cost.

Nurses Plan

No mention of Teachers plan but Nurses and Teachers plan are almost identical so it may be affected.

 

[pj111]

Makes you wonder why VHI think Teachers are so special that they get their orthopaedic surgery fully covered while Nurses don't !

 

[Derry]

Well I was a teacher once and it could be that they spend a good deal of their time on their feet !!!! but also as pj111 & Nova Flare pointed out its a relatively new plan and relatively few members

 

[pj111]

They might spend a lot of time on their feet but they don't get cover for the podiatry and chiropodist vists that the nurses get under their plan !

 

[joeclogs]

just to clarify the price and eligibility on the teachers plan. I telephoned today and the price is €772. To get the €695 price I would have to prove that I was a teacher. However when I asked could a friendly teacher include me on their policy I was told yes they could include as many people as they wanted on the policy regardless of relationship and they would get the super-discounted rate. Bizarre, stupid and discriminatory.....

 

[NovaFlare77]

just to clarify the price and eligibility on the teachers plan. I telephoned today and the price is €772. To get the €695 price I would have to prove that I was a teacher. However when I asked could a friendly teacher include me on their policy I was told yes they could include as many people as they wanted on the policy regardless of relationship and they would get the super-discounted rate. Bizarre, stupid and discriminatory.....

In case anyone is thinking of being added to a teacher friend's policy, something to bear in mind is that the policy holder gets all the policy and claims information. So if someone on a teacher's policy were to make a claim, then the claims information would go to the policy holder.