Health Care in Ireland
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 37
Health Care in Ireland
Good morningMy partner and I are planning to move to RoI in January '16, we have already ( 3 years ago ) purchased a house and have everything in place for our long awaited move.I am 55 and a teacher, my partner 47 and a car mechanic. We hope to continue working ( albeit part-time ) for sometime before 'retiring'. My question is healthcare and the exact procedure. Does one 'register' with a doctor as here in the UK or simply locate the nearest and go along should we need to? Do we pay the doctor direct? What are the charges? What happens in an emergency and who pays i.e traffic accident ( God forbid )?Also does anyone have a good health insurer they could recommend and the approximate cost for people our age? Neither of us have any health problems at the moment, but given our age, may well do in the future.Thank you all in advance for the very interesting posts and your repiles ( should I get any! )Best wishesJenny
#2
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 6,148
Re: Health Care in Ireland
Good morningMy partner and I are planning to move to RoI in January '16, we have already ( 3 years ago ) purchased a house and have everything in place for our long awaited move.I am 55 and a teacher, my partner 47 and a car mechanic. We hope to continue working ( albeit part-time ) for sometime before 'retiring'. My question is healthcare and the exact procedure. Does one 'register' with a doctor as here in the UK or simply locate the nearest and go along should we need to? Do we pay the doctor direct? What are the charges? What happens in an emergency and who pays i.e traffic accident ( God forbid )?Also does anyone have a good health insurer they could recommend and the approximate cost for people our age? Neither of us have any health problems at the moment, but given our age, may well do in the future.Thank you all in advance for the very interesting posts and your repiles ( should I get any! )Best wishesJenny
Do I have to pay? There are two ways of accessing healthcare services in Ireland, either as a public or private patient.Every Irish citizen or person who is ordinarily resident in the country has access to public hospital services, whether you have health insurance, a medical card or nothing at all.However, the catch is that these services are not free and you may be subject to waiting times depending on your medical condition.This can often be the case for certain orthopaedic procedures such as if you require surgery for a dodgy knee or hip.I think I broke my ankle so I am going to go to the A&E – what will be the damage? Unless you hold a medical card, you will be charged €100 for all treatment received in a public hospital accident and emergency room.If you have already consulted your GP and you have a referral letter, then this charge will not apply.Some health insurance policies give a contribution towards this A&E charge, but you will have to pay this up-front and claim your refund directly from your insurer at year end.If this is not covered by your policy, then you may be able to claim standard tax relief on this expense as part of your annual tax return.Uh oh, they think it might be serious so they are keeping me overnight, how much is this going to cost? The bad news. You will have to pay €75 for each night in the public hospital. The good news is the amount is capped. You will only have to pay up to 10 nights in any 12 month period to the maximum of €750Now the doctor says I’ll have to have surgery. Will I need to remortgage to pay for this!?If you’re a public patient, you will be put on the appropriate list for that surgery and you will be contacted with a date for your treatment.If going privately, you will be referred by your GP to a specialist who will arrange your treatment privately in line with the health insurance held. You will have to pay for all costs until such time as you’re admitted and your health insurance will take over at this stage.I’ve been in a car accident and rushed to the emergency room. Is the hospital going to bill me? This will be treated like any other emergency. All accident or emergency admissions will be brought to a public hospital A&E department. Unless you hold a medical card, you will be charged €100 which covers all tests carried out and treatment rendered.
#3
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: bute
Posts: 9,740
Re: Health Care in Ireland
Jenny,Do you hope to get a teaching job ? Are there not restrictions on who can be employed ? Sorry to go off topic !
http://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/Registration/
http://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/Registration/
Last edited by scot47; Oct 14th 2015 at 1:41 pm.
#4
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Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 37
Re: Health Care in Ireland
Thank you Moses13, most helpful, concise and clearly explained.Scot47, I won't be continuing with teaching, but hope to do something 'related', but thank you for pointing this out to me.Best wishesJenny