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Coillte employees will be familiar with the Hospital Saturday Fund (HSF), as will employees of the Department of Agriculture and the IFA. Many people working in big companies like Hewlett Packard and Oracle will also be aware of it, because these five companies and organisations account for some of the almost 900 employers in Ireland that use HSF group health schemes.
In all “85% of our membership base would be with us through salary deduction in their workplace,” says Roy Smith, head of sales and business development with the HSF.
It’s the most popular way that people enrol, but anyone can join, any age, from any walk of life – but the HSF also offers cash-plan cover to individuals and families under its One and Family schemes.
Roy Smith says that it’s like a savings plan for many members.
“You get back what you’ve paid out in any year alone just on the dental and optical benefits, but if you get sick and have a lot of medical costs in that same year you’re covered, up to the limits of your policy, for doctors’ visits, tests and treatments like acupuncture or physiotherapy. Say you spend €200 on a scan. You get that refunded within a week or so after sending in the claim form and receipt.”
HOW HSF DIFFERS FROM OTHER INSURERS
What HSF Health offers is different to other health insurance, Roy Smith says. “We are not private medical insurance, so a HSF policy would not, for example, get you into the Mater Private in Dublin or Aut Even in Kilkenny for treatment.
It will cover the HSE charge of €80 a night, however, and it will get money spent on seeing a consultant or having an MRI, for example, prior to going to hospital, back very rapidly.”
It will also reimburse your day-to-day medical expenses up to the limit stated on the policy you’ve chosen.
For example, if you were on the One Scheme 3 (OS3) and had dental and optical cover for €450 you could spend that much in total on glasses and dental treatment together in the year.
While many members of the HSF are public health patients, around 50% of HSF members also have private medical insurance cover with the likes of VHI, Laya or Irish Life Health, he says, seeing the HSF cover as complementary to their private medical insurance cover.
SET UP IN VICTORIAN TIMES
So what is the origin of HSF? “HSF was set up initially in Victorian England to encourage people to contribute from their wages every week to the upkeep of their local hospital,” he says. The HSF came to Ireland in 1949.
But how exactly did it get its rather odd name? “In the 1870s, a lot of people worked six days’ a week and pay day was Saturday, so it was called the Hospital Saturday Fund, because Saturday was the day when the subscriptions were collected for the funding of the hospitals,” says Roy. Victorian social reformer, Reginald Brabazon was the principal founder.
MEDICAL CARD HOLDERS ALSO MEMBERS
Some people with medical cards are also HSF members, he states, as it means they can get a scan done and a diagnosis more quickly.
“Public waiting lists can be long, and they mightn’t be seen by a consultant for nine to 12 months, but HSF Health policy holders would be able to get the scan done straight away, paying up front and getting their money back within a few working days, thereby alleviating some of the worry. It’s the worrying that’s hard on people.”
Roy Smith, head of sales and business development with the HSF.
PROFITS GO TO GOOD CAUSES
HSF Health is the trade name of the charity, the Hospital Saturday Fund and all the profits from the trading company go back to the parent company.
That money is then distributed to local hospitals, hospices, medical charities or individuals who are suffering financial hardship through medical problems.
“In November 2017, for example, the HSF gave away €100,000 to Cork-based charities and in 2017 as a whole €1.2m was given away between the UK and Ireland,” Roy says.
The fact that the HSF is a charity and that profits are distributed to good causes goes down well with many people, he believes.
This ethical side, where people in the wider community are being helped when profits are distributed, is something that people like.
Organisations can apply each quarter, but the money must be sought for capital projects rather than running expenses; for instance, upgrading equipment.
“The hard part is deciding who is the most deserving,” he says. “It’s our hard task to decide who gets the donation each time, but the good thing is that if an organisation is unsuccessful in its application it may not be because they haven’t met the criteria but because another organisation has a more compelling need.
Unsuccessful applicants can also apply again in the next quarter and those who are successful can re-apply in 12 months’ time also.”
MONEY BACK QUICKLY
The fact that one can get money back quickly is another big plus for people, he says. “Policy holders claim as and when they use services. They don’t have to hold onto receipts to the end of the year like you do with private medical insurance.”
The HSF has a lot of students as members as well as self-employed people including farmers.
“A lot of farmer and construction workers join because we also provide some personal accident benefit,” he says. “If the person breaks an arm or leg, they get a small cash weekly payment if they are off work for more than 30 days because of an accident. We also pay accidental death and permanent disability benefits. And the nightly HSE charge in a public hospital is covered if you’re in hospital, so at least you’re not out of pocket for that.”
GP HELPLINE FOR NON-EMERGENCIES
A 24/7 GP helpline is also available. “It can be handy for self-employed customers. If you’ve a minor complaint it’s not always possible to get time off work to see a GP because you’re stopping work and losing money.
Members can pick up the phone and talk to a fully qualified GP morning noon and night, every single day of the year. It means they aren’t paying €60 to see a GP. We’re not trying to do away with people going to their doctor, but it may suit in a non-emergency situation.
"The doctor will ask lots of questions and direct you from there. If an infection is diagnosed, for example, and he believes that you need an antibiotic, he may fax a prescription to your local pharmacy.”
DENTAL/OPTICAL BENEFITS STILL USEFUL AFTER PRSI CHANGES
While PRSI benefits have recently improved for self-employed people with the required number of class S stamps – free glasses, scale and polish at the dentists and a grant of €1,000 toward a pair of hearing aids – Roy Smith doesn’t think that this change will adversely affect the HSF.
“Members can use their HSF dental and optical benefits to get a more expensive pair of frames or lenses, for example, with PRSI paying the basic part of it.
“Also PRSI won’t cover something like contact lenses or a crown, which are deemed purely cosmetic,” he says.
NO SPEND ON ADVERTISING
So why doesn’t the HSF advertise? “Media advertising is expensive and if you did, while it’s possible that you would raise your profile, there is no guarantee that you’d have extra people joining and a lot of money would have been spent in the meantime.
“The best advertising for us is word of mouth. That’s how we’ve operated since it started and we would have stands at conferences and health-related exhibitions at times too,” says Roy.
COST OF COVER
The entry level of cover for HSF Health is €11.28 a month and there are 10 levels in total, going up to €96.80 per calendar month. Workplace policies also cover the spouse or partner and all children under 21 are covered at no extra cost.
It’s a family premium. You would use up your allocation of funds more quickly with that number claiming, of course, if one or two people are sick, but it’s tremendous to know that, say, two people in the family can be reimbursed for the cost of glasses, for example.
"And you’ve still got all the other benefits. One of you could go to a physio a week later and you’d get that money refunded also,” he explains.
The HSF scheme for single people – the One Scheme has four policy options with costs varying from €14.30 up to €57.30 per calendar month.
NOT TIED INTO ANNUAL CONTRACT
The fact that there is no annual contract involved on HSF schemes is also a plus, he believes.
“If you join all the other health insurers in Ireland or renew you are committed to a contract for 12 months. We found this through the recession, people speaking of being hit with severe penalties for breaking the contract if they wanted to leave the major insurers, when they could least afford it. We don’t ask people to get involved in a contract. They could leave anytime if they wanted to.” CL
For further information, visit https://www.hsf.ie or call 1890 451 451.
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