How to switch health insurer
Only one in 10 consumers have ever switched from one health insurer to another, according to a survey by the Health Insurance Authority (HIA), but switching health insurer isn't difficult to do.
VHI, Bupa Ireland and Vivas Health give immediate cover to people who have switched from another health insurer, as long as the break in cover does not exceed 13 weeks.
This means that switchers don't have to go through the waiting periods that apply to first-time health insurance buyers.
Although cover for accident and emergency and outpatient claims is usually available straight away, people who are buying health insurance for the first time will have to wait 26 weeks before they can make a claim for a new condition, a year before they make a claim for maternity benefits and five years before they can make a claim for pre-existing medical conditions.
Longer waiting periods will apply to people aged 55 and over who are covering themselves for the first time.
Switchers who are subject to a waiting period at another insurer may still be subject to the remainder of the waiting period at their new insurer.
People who take the opportunity to upgrade their type of health cover when they switch insurers may have to wait up to two years (or five years if they are over the age of 65) before they can access the enhanced benefits in relation to pre-existing conditions.
The maximum waiting limits that apply are regulated by the HIA.
According to the Authority's survey, conducted in the spring of 2004, cost savings are the motivating factor for nearly half of all switchers.
Families were more likely to switch than individuals and switchers were more likely to be in the 25- to 44- year-old age group than older age groups. Nine in 10 switchers left VHI, with most signing up to Bupa. Only a small minority of people who have never switched have ever considered doing it.
For detailed comparisons on the health insurance plans available in the Republic, visit the Health Insurance Authority's website at www.hia.ie.
Laura Slattery