Thanks Patrick, I'll probably keep the cover I have going, I don't trust the government's promises and I prefer having full cover just in case. I had a look at the outpatient only cover options, there are substantially cheaper, €600-700 in my case. If I was struck for cash I might have reduced the cover down just to avoid exclusion periods of letting it lapse. As a by the by, if you opt for out-patient cover, and later revert to an in-patient plan, is there waiting periods for cover?