Do HSE know if you have health insurance? I have to have a procedure soon and while I do have ins, I wasn't going to use it

[xPaz]

I just don't want the complication. I don't want the premium to go up either. I'm saving it for a rainy day. This procedure is routine.

I know due to GDPR they shouldn't know, but they've sent me a form for me to fill in my private health insurance details. Do they send that to everybody? Or do they somehow know already. Do you have to use private insurance just because you have it?

They'll ask, but I don't know why you wouldn't tell them.
How are you planning on paying, or are you going in as a public patient?
Also I'm pretty sure medical insurance premiums don't increase based on claims. They're community rated, so everyone pays the same for the same coverage (aside from the age related add ons - can't remember it's official name). Open to correction here.

They won't know unless you have provided the information previously but it's not like car insurance, your premium will not go up based on a single claim. But unless you have a medical are you could be charged for your hospital stay. I think it is up to 80€ per night. Best thing would be to give your insurer a call.

*medical card

No rates don’t go up based on claims for health insurance, I’ve never heard of that happening. I work in a private hospital. You will probably get a bill of some description from the public anyway, although in the previous public hospital I worked, twenty years ago so maybe it’s changed but they didn’t seem to overly chase payments. If you don’t put it on the admission form though that could be seen as fraudulent.

I don’t think your premium goes up if you use it like car insurance, but I might be wrong there.

if they give you a form, you will have to tell the truth on the form, I know if you lie on a form then it often voids your insurance/cover so I would disclose everything with regards to insurance.m anyway!

ring your private healthcare insurance company for advice. All the best.

Did you mean €800 a night?

€80 a night is the cost for a bed in a public ward, it's either covered by medical card, health insurance, or paid by patient.

Your individual premium can’t go up due to making a claim. HSE ask if you have private health insurance because if you do they want to charge VHI/Laya/Avilva a fortune for the procedure. You don’t have to use it. Don’t give them your private health insurance details if you were referred publicly for the procedure unless you want to.

I was referred publicly by the gp who did the routine smear. Thanks.

Hope all goes OK @xPaz

No you don't have to use private insurance just because you have it. DH had a scare not so long ago where he had urgent scans done for suspicious lumps that the Dr was concerned about . All good thank goodness and no health insurance involved it was done through the public system. And I've had all my babies on the public system and not bothered with private.

No, you don't have to go private even if you have insurance, but often going private can be quicker which is mostly why people use it. It depends on the procedure though so it may not be quicker. You only have access to public hospitals if you go public.

Premiums don't go up when you make a claim.
Hope all works out okay for you.

€80 a night charge is gone now. Inpatient hospital stays are free for public patients.

You don't need to use your insurance or hide the fact that you have it. I work in the public system and we often have patients who have private health insurance but chose to go public. I have health insurance but if I was admitted through A&E tomorrow I would go public. You will almost never get treated any differently in a public hospital for being private.

€80 a night charge is gone now. Inpatient hospital stays are free for public patients.

Only since 17th April. I don't know if it was soon enough for the OP.