HSF

Nearly 75 per cent of public "highly recommend" a HSF Health Cash Plan

11th Dec 2007

RTE Highly Recommended Online poll result favours HSF

Nearly 75 per cent of people think a HSF Cash Plan is a good idea and would ‘highly recommend’ it. This was the result of an online poll announced following HSF being featured on RTE’s lifestyle consumer show Highly Recommended.

Ann Boyhan from Co Laois is married with two children. As with most families, she knows that annual medical bills can be costly and unpredictable so attempted to persuade consumer experts Ben Dunne, Conor Pope and Barbara McCarthy that a HSF Health Cash Plan is the solution to coping with everyday medical and healthcare costs.

Ben Dunne ‘highly recommended’ this way of saving however Barbara and Conor did not. In a nationwide poll organised by RTE after the show 74 per cent of people voted against the panel and gave HSF the thumbs up.

Ann joined HSF Health Plan five years ago. Her whole family are covered by the scheme and she pays €32.50 per month. In return, she has received money back on doctors and dentists visits, prescriptions, hospital stays, physio and birth grants of €500 per child. In total Ann has received €1746 cash back from HSF.

According to Ann “HSF gives me peace of mind. The benefits are good, claims are processed quickly, unlike private medical insurance premiums have not risen, and on top of all this, HSF is a not for profit organisation so all profits are donated to hospitals, hospices and medical charities”.

With medical inflation running at 4.4%, 27% higher than in 2002, doctors’ fees up 7% and dental charges up 6.6% in the last year, managing routine medical expenses is becoming an increasing worry for many people, and those with families in particular.

A recent survey* showed that half of Irish people put off routine medical checks, such as visits to the GP, dentist and optician because of the cost.

Of these, over a third (36%) have delayed a medical check for 6 months or more and 10% of respondents have put off a medical check indefinitely.