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Compare Health Insurance plans today to get the best value quote on the Market.
Whether you have a current health insurance provider or not we can assist you in providing the best possible cover for you and your family. There is now more choice than ever before in the Irish Market and switching health insurance provider has never been easier. There is no break in cover, no new exclusions and no reserving of waiting periods if you are switching from an equivalent plan with your current health insurance provider to a new health insurance provider.
Minimum level of benefits
At present, companies that are offering cover for in-patient hospital services must offer a minimum level of benefits. They must provide a minimum level of cover in respect of:
- Day care/in-patient treatment
- Hospital out-patient treatment
- Maternity benefits
- Convalescence
- Psychiatric treatment and substance abuse
The minimum accommodation level is semi-private in a public hospital.
Access
There are four general principles that apply to health insurance:
- Open enrollment
- Lifetime cover
- Community rating
- Lifetime Community rating
Open enrolment
At present, health insurance companies must accept anyone who wishes to join, subject to any applicable waiting periods before cover takes effect, regardless of age, sex or health status – this is known as “open enrolment”. Restricted membership schemes must accept everyone who is qualified to join.
Lifetime cover
Once you join and continue to pay your premiums, the insurance company cannot refuse to provide you with cover – this is called “lifetime cover”.
An individual or family, having already served both the requisite waiting periods relevant to their age when first taking out private health insurance and any waiting period for a pre-existing condition may switch from one insurer to another, and if such an occurance takes place within 13 weeks, those waiting periods will not have to be served again. Therefore, persons can normally move from one insurer to another without loss of cover.
Community rating
“Community rating” means that the insurance company must charge the same rate for a given level of service, regardless of age, sex or health status. So all adults pay the same amount for the same benefits. Unlike motor insurance or life insurance, matters such as age, sex, sexual orientation, health or past record of claims do not affect the price charged for insurance.
Charges for people aged under 18, people aged 18 to 25 who are in full-time education, retired people who have a special arrangement within their company’s health insurance scheme and people in group health insurance schemes may all be lower than the normal adult rate.
Lifetime Community rating
Lifetime community rating is a system whereby the premium that individuals pay for health insurance rises with the age they enter the private health insurance market, but does not vary in relation to their current age. Under this system, a 50 year old who has held insurance since he or she was 30 would pay the same as a 30 year old, but a 50 year old who purchases insurance for the first time would pay more than a 30 year old.
We offer detailed comparisons and quotes for new customers to the health insurance market or existing customers who have health insurance already. Simply fill in your details below for a no obligation comparison and quote.