Goodbody provides all Goodbody Republic of Ireland (ROI) employees with the option to avail of a private health insurance benefit. Goodbody has selected Vhi as the provider and a plan, PMI 66 10, is available to ROI employees.
We have developed this Questions & Answers (Q&A) document to answer some of the questions you might have about this benefit. We have grouped the Q&A into categories to allow you to select the category of questions that reflects your own current circumstances.
I am a currently a Vhi member
I am a member of Laya / Irish Life Health I don’t currently have health
1 I AM CURRENTLY A VHI MEMBER 1.1IamcurrentlyamemberofVhi,whatdoIneedtodo?
Toavailofthishealthcarebenefit,youwillneedtologintotheVhionlineenrolmentportal(using yourcurrentVhipolicynumber)andtransferovertotheGoodbodygroupscheme.Alternatively,you cancallthededicatedVhiGoodbodyConciergelineon0567753054andreferencethegroup scheme93494.WhenjoiningtheGoodbodygroupschemeyouwillneedtoprovideyouremployee number.Ifyourcurrentrenewaldateisscheduledforaperiodoftimegreaterthan30daysfrom yourintendedtransferdate,youmustcallthededicatedVhilineratherthanutilisingtheonline portal.
1.2WhenwillmyVhipolicystart?
YourpolicycommencementdatewillbebasedonthedateagreedbetweenyouandVhi.The renewaldateofyourpolicywillbe1Januaryeachyear.
1.3Howdoesthebenefitwork?
GoodbodywillcoverthecostoftheGoodbodyVhiplanPMI6610forallemployees.Toavailofthis benefit,youmustbepartoftheGoodbodygroupscheme.
1.4HowcanIcheckmycurrentlevelofcover?
YoucancheckyourcurrentcoverbyloggingontoyourMyVhiaccountorbycallingthededicated VhiGoodbodyConciergelineon0567753054.
1.5Icurrentlyhaveadifferentplan,canIstayonthatplan?
Yes,youcanstayonyourcurrentplanandbecomeamemberoftheGoodbodygroupscheme. OnceamemberoftheGoodbodyscheme,thevalueofPMI6610planwillbeappliedtoyour existingpolicypremium.AnydifferenceincostbetweenthePMI6610planandyourexistingplan canbepaidbyyoudirectlytoVhibydirectdebit.Asthisadditionalcostispaiddirectlybyyouto Vhi,noBIKchargeswillbeapplicableforthisportionofyourpolicy.
Fortheavoidanceofdoubt,inthisinstanceyourlevelofcoverwouldbebasedonthatofyour chosenplanandnotofPMI6610plan.IfyouwanttoreviewyourplanyoucancontacttheVhiteam andtheywillhelpyoutoreviewyourcover.
1.6IcurrentlyhaveadditionalfamilymemberscoveredonmyexistingVhipolicy,whathappens tothem?
YoucanchoosetomoveyourfamilymemberstotheGoodbodygroupschemeandavailofPMI66 10oranalternativeplanwhichmeetstheirneeds.Thecostofprovidinghealthcareforfamily memberscanbearrangeddirectlybetweenyouandVhi.Youwillneedtoupdateyourpayment detailswhichcanbedoneontheVhilink.
2 I AM CURRENTLY A MEMBER OF LAYA / IRISH LIFE HEALTH 2.1IamamemberofLaya/IrishLifeHealthandwanttojointheVHIGroupScheme, whatshouldIdo?
Ifyouwishtoavailofthebenefityoushouldcontactyourcurrentinsurertocheckifyoucanleave yourcontract.Ifyoudohavetheoptiontoleave,youcanavailoftheGoodbodyVhiplanPMI6610by joiningtheGoodbodygroupschemethroughtheVhiLink
Pleasenotethatsomeinsurersmayinsistthatyoucompletethe12-monthcontractbutbesureto mentionthatyouremployerissubsidisingyourhealthinsurance.Ifyourcurrentinsurerwillnotrelease youfromyourexistingcontract,youmaywishtowaituntiltheendofyourexistingcontracttojointhe GoodbodyVhiplanPMI6610.YouwillbeabletojointheGoodbodygroupschemeatanytime throughouttheyear.
WhenjoiningtheGoodbodygroupschemeyouwillneedtoprovideyouremployeenumber.
2.2WhenwillmyVhipolicystart?
YourpolicycommencementdatewillbebasedonthedateagreedbetweenyouandVhi.Therenewal dateofyourpolicywillbe1Januaryeachyear.
2.3Howdoesthebenefitwork?
GoodbodywillcoverthecostoftheGoodbodyVhiplanPMI6610forallemployees.Toavailofthis benefit,youmustbepartoftheGoodbodygroupscheme.
2.4Ihaveanupcomingscheduledprocedure/undergoingtreatment–whatshouldIdo?
Yourcurrentinsurerwillcovercostsuptoyourrenewal/cancellationdateandVhiwillcovercosts fromthedateyoutransferovertoVhi.Youwillneedtonotifythehospitalofyournewinsurance arrangementsandprovidethehospitalwithyournewVhipolicynumber.Onceyouhaveyour procedurecodefromthehospitalforyourtreatment,pleasecontactthededicatedVhiGoodbody Conciergelineon0567753054.
2.5Ihaveday-to-daymedicalexpensesthatIneedtoclaimfromLaya/IrishLifeHealth,what shouldIdo?
Expensesincurreduptoandincludingtheenddateofyourcontractwithyourcurrentinsurercanbe claimedfromLaya/IrishLifeHealthinthenormalway.Ifyouhaveanyqueries,youshouldcontact Laya/IrishLifeHealthdirectly.
3 I DON’T CURRENTLY HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE 3.1Whenwillthebenefitapply?
Ifyouchoosetosignup,yourpolicycommencementdatewillbebasedonthedateagreed betweenyouandVhi.Therenewaldateofyourpolicywillbe1Januaryeachyear.
3.2Howdoesthebenefitwork?
GoodbodywillcoverthecostoftheGoodbodyVhiplanPMI6610forallemployees.Toavailof thisbenefit,youmustbepartoftheGoodbodygroupscheme.
3.3IamnotcurrentlyinsuredbutIwouldliketosignupforaVhipolicy,whatdoIneedtodo?
AlleligibleemployeescanjointheGoodbodygroupschemeatanytime.Youcanjointhroughthe VhiOnlineEnrolmentPortaloralternativelyyoucancallthededicatedVhiGoodbodyConcierge lineon0567753054andreferencethegroupscheme93494.
3.4CanIsignupfortheVhiplannow?
YoucanjointheVhischemeimmediatelybycontactingVhidirectly.Thepolicycommencement datewillbeagreeduponbyyouandVhi.
4 LIFETIME COMMUNITY RATING (LCR) 4.1WhatisLCR?
Individualswhodonotfirsttakeoutprivatehealthinsuranceinadvanceofturning35years oldareliableforaloadingonpoliciesamountingto2%foreachyearthatyouareaged35and over.Themaximumloadingthatcanapplyis70%ofpremiumintheeventofapersonaged69or olderpurchasinginpatientprivatehealthinsuranceforthefirsttime.LCRisafeatureofallprivate healthinsuranceplansintheStateandarenotauniquefeatureoftheGoodbodyGroupSchemeor PMI6610.
4.2WhatistheLCRloading?
TheLCRloadingis2%foreveryyearyouhavenotsigneduptoahealthinsuranceplanfromage 35on.LCRpremiumloadingsarepayableforatotalof10yearsonly.
4.3ArethereexemptionsfrompayingLCRloading?
Yes,theloadingmaybereducedifyouhaveaqualifyingperiodofcredit.Examplesofcreditwhich mayreduceyourloadingarecreditforperiodsduringwhichyouhadhealthinsuranceinthepastor creditforperiods,whereincertaincircumstances,yougaveupyourhealthinsurancedueto unemployment.Formoreinformationontheseexemptionsandotherpossibleexemptions,please contacttheVhiGoodbodyConciergelineon0567753054.
4.4WhathappensifIswitchinsurer?
Ifyouhaveheldhealthinsurancewithapreviousinsurerwithnoloadingyouwillcontinueyour coverwithVhiwithnoloading,howeverifyouhaveheldhealthinsurancewithapreviousinsurer withloadings,thesewillcontinuetoapplywithVhi.
4.5HowisLCRappliedintheGoodbodyGroupScheme?
WhenyouopttoavailofthebenefitVhiwillbeabletoadviseofthelevelofLCRwhichwillapply. ThepaymentofthisloadingcanbearrangeddirectlybyyouwithVhi.
5 TAX Doesthisbenefitattractbenefit-in-kind?
Yes.Asthisbenefitisapersonalexpensewhichisbeingpaidonbehalfofanemployee byGoodbody,thebenefitattractsabenefit-in-kindcharge.
HowisBenefit-in-KindCalculated?
Inordertocalculatethetaxdue,thegrossvalueofthepolicypremiumistreatedasanadditional payment.
Incometax,PRSIandUSCwillbecalculatedanddeductedonthecombinedvalueofyourtypical taxablepayelementsandthegrossvalueofthepolicypremium.
Youwillseethisgrossvalueonyourpayslipasanotionalpaymentamount.Thismeansthatthevalue willbeusedtodeterminetheappropriatetaxdue,butthevaluewillnotbeprocessedasapaymentto you.
WhenwillmyHealthcarebenefitappearonmypayslip?
Thedateyourhealthcarebenefitfirstappearsonyourpayslipwilldependonyourpolicy commencementdate.Employeeswhoarealignedwiththepolicyrenewaldateof1Januarywillseethe benefitontheirpayslipfromJanuaryofthatyear.Forthoseemployeeswhojoinafter1January,they maynotseethebenefitontheirpayslipinthemonththeysignupforthebenefit.Thisisbecause Goodbodyisnotifiedofschemeparticipantsonthe1stofeachcalendarmonth.Employeesincludedon thatnotificationwillseethehealthcarebenefitontheirpayslipthatmonth.
Example1-Ifyousignupon28January,yourhealthcarebenefitwillfirstappearonyourFebruary payslip.Yourpremiumwillbespreadevenlyacross11months.
Example2-Ifyousignupon2February,yourhealthcarebenefitwillfirstappearonyourMarch payslip.Yourpremiumwillbespreadevenlyacross10months.
HowmuchtaxwillIpayonthisbenefit?
Benefit-in-Kindiscalculatedonanindividualbasisandisbasedonanindividual'spersonaltaxcredits. Incometax,PRSIandUSCwillbecalculatedanddeductedonthecombinedvalueofyourtypical taxablepayelementsandthegrossvalueofthepolicypremium.
Whatisthegrossvalueofthepolicypremium?
ThegrossvalueofthepolicypremiumforPMI6610isdetailedintheratetableonEngage
5 TAX (CONTINUED) DoIreceivetaxreliefatsourceonmypremiumifGoodbodyispayingit?
Inordertoavailofthetaxreliefatsource(‘TRS’)youmustmakeaclaimtoRevenue.This canbedoneonlineandisaquickandeasyprocesswhichcanbedoneattheendofthe yearthroughyourtaxreturnviathe“myAccount”sectionontheRevenuewebsite.Thiscan beaccessedthroughthe‘PAYEServices’and‘ReviewYourTax’sections.Thereliefcanbeclaimedin thehealthexpensessectionofthereturn.
IfIampayingthefullvalueofapremium,formeorafamilymembertoVhiisthereataxliability?
No!Incometax,PRSIandUSCareonlycalculatedagainstemployeebenefitsprovidedbythe employer.Therefore,ifyouarepayingyourownpremiumorpremiumsforothers,youwillhavenotax liability.
IfIampayingapremiumdirectlytoVhiwillIgettaxreliefonthepremium?
Yes!Taxreliefisgrantedatsourceformedicalinsurancepremiumspaiddirectlytoanauthorised insurerbyanindividual.Asthisreductionisappliedtothepremiumyouarepayingthereisno requirementforyoutoengagewithRevenue.
6 INFORMATION SHARING WhatinformationissharedbetweenVhiandGoodbody?
ThereislimitedinformationsharedbetweenVhiandGoodbody.Goodbodywillshareyourname andstaffnumberwithVhi ThisisforVhitoknowthatyouareaGoodbodyemployeewhois eligibleforthisbenefit.InordertoprocessBIKforemployees,VhiwillsupplyGoodbodywithyour name,employeenumber,plannameandthecostbeingcoveredbyGoodbody.
NomedicalinformationwillbesharedbetweenVhiandGoodbody
7 FURTHER INFORMATION Aretherewaitingperiods?
No,allGoodbodyemployeesandimmediatefamilymemberswillbecoveredstraight awayfromjoiningtheGoodbodygroupscheme.Familymemberswillbenefitfromany concessions/discountsthatareavailabletoGoodbodyemployees.
Pleasenote:Applicationdatescannotbebackdatedandcoverisonlyinplacefromthedateof application.
Istherecoverforpre-existingconditions?
Yes,thewaitingperiodforpre-existingconditionsiswaivedforPMI6610forGoodbodyemployeesand theirfamily.
CanIchangeorupgrademycovertoanotherplan?
Yes,youcancontactthededicatedVhiteamandtheywillhelpyoudecideonthemostsuitableplanfor yourneeds.Ifyouwishtochangeorupgradeyourcover,thevalueofPMI6610planwillbeappliedto yourexistingpolicy.AnydifferenceincostbetweentheGoodbodyplanandyourexistingplancanbepaid directlybyyoutoVhibydirectdebit.
Fortheavoidanceofdoubt,inthisinstanceyourlevelofcoverwouldbebasedonthatofyourchosen planandnotofPMI6610plan.
What’scoveredundertheplan?
TheGoodbodyVhiplanPMI6610coverspublicandprivatehospitals,awiderangeofday-to-daymedical expensesandmuchmore.YoucanreviewPMI6610planfactsheetortableofbenefitsformoredetails.
CanIboostmycover?
Yes.OneofthecorporatebenefitsoftheGoodbodygroupschemeisthatyouhavetheoptionto temporarilyboost(orincrease)yourcoverforshortperiodsoftimetocovertreatmentsnotalready coveredunderPMI6610.YoucandiscussthiswithVhidirectlyanddecideonthecoversuitabletoyou. AnydifferenceincostbetweenthePMI6610planandyourboostedcovercanbepaidbyyoudirectlyto Vhibydirectdebit.AsthisadditionalcostispaiddirectlybyyoutoVhi,noBIKchargeswillbeapplicable forthisportionofyourpolicy.
CanIaddadditionalpeopletomypolicy?
Yes,yourspouse/partner,children(aged0–17)andstudents(aged18–20)canbeaddedtoyourpolicy andVhiwillbillyoudirectlyforanyadditionalpeopleyouchoosetoaddtoyourpolicy.Youwillneedto updateyourpaymentdetailswhichcanbedoneontheVhilink.
Idon’twanttoavailofthehealthinsurancethroughVhi,whatdoIneedtodo? Weunderstandthatsomepeoplemaywanttocontinuewiththeirownarrangements.If youdon’twishtoavailofinsurancethroughVhithere’snoactionforyoutakeatthistime.
7 FURTHER INFORMATION (CONTINUED) IfIdon’tavailofthehealthinsuranceplannow,canIavailofitinthefuture?
Yes.Ifyoudon’twishtoavailofthisbenefitatthistimeyouwillbeabletoavailofitata laterdate.
HowdoIsignupforthisbenefit?
Enrolmentforthisplan,canbedonethroughtheVhiOnlineEnrolmentPortalatanytime.Alternativelyyou canjoinbycallingtheVhiGoodbodyConciergelineon0567753054
WhatinformationdoIneedtoprovidetojointheGoodbodygroupscheme?
WhenjoiningtheGoodbodygroupschemeyouwillneedtoprovideyouremployeenumber.Ifyouchoose tosignupfortheonline‘MyVhi’appyouneedtouseyourpersonalemailaddress.
PleaseNote:Youcannotuseyourworkemailaddresstosignupfortheonlineservices.
WhathappensifIleaveGoodbody?
IfyouleavetheemploymentofGoodbodyyouwillnolongerbeeligibletoreceivethisbenefit.Goodbody willceasepayingyourpremiumwitheffectfromyourexitdate.Thecorporatebenefitsassociatedwith theGroupSchemewillalsoceasewitheffectfromyourexitdate.
Yourplanwillcontinuetobeactiveupuntilit’srenewaldateandthepaymentofyourpremiumwillbe madebyyoudirectlytoVhi.
Whatisthevalueofthisbenefit?
AfulltableofpremiumvaluesisavailableintheHealthInsuranceHubonEngage.
HowandwhenwillIreceivemypolicydocumentation?
Yourpolicydocumentationwillbeissuedtoyouwithin5workingdays.Atthetimeofsigninguptothis benefityouwillbegiventhechoiceofnotificationmethod.Vhiwouldencourageallpolicyholderstooptinforonlinedocumentationandemailnotifications.
Ihaveadditionalquestionsaboutmynewpolicy,whocanItalkto?
IfyouwouldliketospeaktoanadvisoryoucancallthededicatedVhiGoodbodyConciergelineon056 7753054orviaemailatGoodbody@vhi.ie
WhodoIcontactifmyqueryhasnotbeenanswered?
Ifyoucannotfindananswertoyourquery,pleasecontactHRbyemailHR@goodbody.ie
