Presumably there is a point at which the insurance simply becomes a bad deal (even if you can afford the premiums) but I have no sense as to where you would draw the line.
So, a few simple questions... (I think)
If I go to A&E with an emergency, they ask me for medical card or insurance. If I have neither, do they refuse to treat me?
Yes but the trouble is you can pay for the scans, consultants etc but had you needed for example a bypass after your visit to the cardiologist then unless you had been saving serious money these past years it would be unaffordable, it's not the cost of the scans or tests that is the issue, it's any hospitalisation and/or operations needed subsequently. My father had a hip op lately, bill was over 40k, luckily he had insurance or how long would he have been waiting on the public list.
Surely if not having the bypass would have been life-threatening it would be carried out anyway under the public health system ?
And statistically how many people require such large operations compared to the huge number of people paying health insurance.There are few people I know of in my generation who have ever required a major operation.
It's like paying extra health insurance to go into a room you share with one complete stranger rather than a ward full of complete strangers - you're still not getting privacy.
Ireland can be strange place at times, but surely it can't be the case that the Minister and Regulator have embarked on a policy drive to incentivise a cohort of people that are least able to afford it to take out policies with private insurers that are essentially worthless, simply to subsidise older policyholders?
That can't be right - can it?I have always struggled to understand the economics of our healthcare system so I assume I'm missing something...
If you pay Insurance, you will get to see the specialist, if you have a Medical Card you will get to see one of their understudies or Trainee.
I was admitted into the A&E of the Mercy Hospital in 2002 after being referred there by an out of hours GP service. I received the full battery of tests - colonoscopy etc. within a few days - and was under the care of the Consultant (not registrar) throughout. The only problem was that I had to wait on a trolley for a few days prior to receiving a hospital bed. I didn't have any health insurance at that stage. What inspired me to take out a policy was the trolley delay as opposed to the excellent care I received from the consultant.
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