Know the ABC of Private Health Cover
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Know the ABC of Private Health Cover In a complicated health insurance market, it can sometimes be difficult to understand and make real comparisons between the wide variety of health plans on offer Often it’s only when you require treatment or a private hospital bed, that you realise your policy may fall short of what’s required. Correct Health Insurance = Complete Peace of Mind Having the correct health insurance will offset significant cost, provide peace of mind and guarantee timely access for patients to the highest quality care in a comfortable and dignified setting. Why is Health Insurance Necessary? Modern medicine is now witnessing amazing breakthroughs on an almost daily basis across a vast range of treatment areas This is resulting in much Having the correct health better health outcomes for insurance ensures you will patients, but it also means gain speedy access to the that healthcare provision consultant of your choice is becoming increasingly and the treatment you need complex – particularly in in a private setting. a hospital setting. www.privatehospitals.ie 1 Private Health Insurance Cover varies significantly from policy to policy – A small percentage of – Some plans may not cover insurance plans don’t key medical procedures provide access to private in the critical areas of hospitals and are limited cancer, cardiology and to private or semi-private orthopaedics. care in public hospitals. – Other plans require cash – Some plans only cover up front to be paid by the basic admission to certain policy holder to the private hospitals but exclude hospital (a co-payment) treatment. before your cover kicks in. – Cover often falls short for the more complex treatments – but this may not be clear when you buy a policy unless you ask the question. 2 The ABC of Private Health Cover Be careful when choosing a policy A low-cost plan could lead Always insist your health to additional cost loadings cover incudes 3 key for core treatments or for treatment areas: hospitals and private mental – Cancer health facilities that are – Cardiology not covered. – Orthopaedics Subscribers should be more informed and fully Many health insurance aware of any potential starter plans don’t cover co-payments that could private hospitals at all. be added later. www.privatehospitals.ie 3 How can I be sure I have the right cover? Review Your Needs Ask Your Local Think carefully about what Private Hospital cover is most relevant to Our 18 members listed you and your family for below can immediately where you are in life. confirm your cover locally. Carefully Check The Health Your Entitlements Insurance Authority Know your current health The HIA provides information policy provisions and the and guidance when extent of the cover comparing private health it provides. insurance plans – find out more on www.hia.ie Ask an Independent Financial Adviser Contact Your Insurer One who specialises in www.irishlifehealth.ie healthcare benefits and www.layahealthcare.ie provides impartial advice www.vhi.ie across all health insurers. 4 The ABC of Private Health Cover Avoid Unwelcome Surprises There’s an easy way to avoid unplanned expense and added distress by checking the ABC of your health policy ✓ A – Access Ensure you are covered for access to all private hospitals in Ireland. ✓ B – Beware Beware of hidden costs and be vigilant for co-payment clauses. ✓ C – Cover Ensure your policy has comprehensive cover for high cost treatments e.g. cancer, cardiology and orthopaedics. www.privatehospitals.ie 5 Also worth knowing... Older subscribers – Policy holders should should prioritise full review their health insurance annually and orthopaedic cover in adapt their plans to reflect later years. different life stages e.g. older subscribers should – Switching products might prioritise full orthopaedic actually get you better cover in later years. health cover without any price increase. – Some low-cost plans which may not cover admission to a private hospital or private mental health facility but might still offer access to services e.g. MRI scanning – thus avoiding the need to wait on a public list. 6 The ABC of Private Health Cover Remember... You don’t need health Ask The Question insurance in order to be Will I be covered for the full treated in a Private Hospital range of treatment options Anyone can avail of in-patient that are on offer in each and other services on offer medical speciality? in our 18 member hospitals around the country on a pay- per-item basis. Bottom Line Ensure your private health care insurance is working for you – providing the protection you need and fully meeting you and your family’s health requirements and expectations. www.privatehospitals.ie 7 Case Studies — 3 typical examples of recent patient experiences 8 The ABC of Private Health Cover One — Inadequate Cover Forced One Elderly Policy Holder Onto a 4 year Public Out-Patient List An 82 year old gentleman who changed his insurance plan 6 years ago, is scheduled for a hip replacement, but there is now an excess charge of 40% on his current policy. This elderly patient does not have income to supplement the added cost and will have to go to a GP for a referral to be added to the public orthopaedic out-patient waiting list. As a result he is now facing an average waiting time of 4 to 5 years until he has his surgery. www.privatehospitals.ie 9 Two — Review your Plan on Renewal – Sometimes They Change A 70-year old female patient had the same insurance plan for many years and had a hip replacement that was fully covered in a private hospital six years ago. She now requires a second hip replacement but did not realise the terms and conditions of her plan had changed substantially – and she now faces a shortfall of several thousand euro for the same procedure. Had she realised at the time of the changes to her plan, she would have purchased an alternative plan that provided full cover for orthopaedics. 10 The ABC of Private Health Cover Three — Using Your Health Insurance Does Not Impact your Premium A patient is reluctant to use his private health insurance for an endoscopy procedure as he fears the price of his plan will increase. The patient is prepared to wait on a waiting list, not realising that using your private health insurance will not impact your premium. The price of insurance plans is the same for every person with that plan regardless of how many times the patient needs to use it. www.privatehospitals.ie 11 About The Private Hospitals Association We are an organisation representing 18 independently-funded hospitals in Ireland Our members play an – Carry out over 250,000 essential role in the delivery surgical procedures of acute and mental health including over half of services, accounting for all spinal and cardiac almost one-third of the acute surgeries. hospitals in Ireland and employing close to 20% of – Are fully accredited by staff in the sector. internationally recognised accreditation bodies. Our Hospitals – Offer over 1,000,000 – Employ over 8,000 highly- bed nights to the Irish trained, professional staff healthcare system across the country. each year. – Care for over 400,000 patients annually. 12 The ABC of Private Health Cover Private Hospitals Association Members Aut Even Hospital Kilkenny www.autevenhospital.ie Bon Secours Hospital Limerick at Barringtons www.bonsecours.ie/limerick Beacon Hospital Dublin www.beaconhospital.ie Blackrock Clinic Dublin www.blackrock-clinic.ie/ Bon Secours Hospital Cork www.bonsecours.ie/cork Bon Secours Hospital Dublin www.bonsecours.ie/dublin Bon Secours Hospital Galway www.bonsecours.ie/galway Bon Secours Hospital Tralee www.bonsecours.ie/tralee Clane General Hospital Kildare www.clanehospital.ie/ Galway Clinic www.galwayclinic.com Hermitage Clinic Dublin www.hermitageclinic.ie Kingsbridge Hospital Sligo www.kingsbridgeprivatehospital.ie/ Mater Private Hospital Dublin www.materprivate.ie/dublin/ Mater Private Hospital Cork www.materprivate.ie/cork/ Sports Surgery Clinic Dublin www.sportssurgeryclinic.com St John of God Hospital Dublin www.stjohnofgodhospital.ie UPMC Whitfield, Waterford www.upmcwhitfield.ie St Francis Private Hospital, Mullingar www.stfrancisprivatehospital.com Contact Us Private Hospitals Association Pembroke House 28-32 Pembroke Street Upper Dublin D02 EK84 [email protected] www.privatehospitals.ie.