Youāve embarrassed me you rascal. Thanks anyway!
Iām stunned at some of the lads I come across without health insurance. Perhaps Iām the fool and itās worthless but I donāt think so and would much prefer to be looking at it than looking for it, especially with kids.
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Iām dubious about the āHSE are good once you get in the systemā narrative. Iāve had some horrendous experiences over the last number of years as have my family and in laws. A lot of apathy and even negligence from staff. If you are not assertive and sometimes bordering on aggressive your loved ones may not be cared for properly. I donāt doubt there are lots of good people working there but also a nice percentage of nurses and doctors who donāt give a fuck. I think the constant under staffing and overcrowding probably wears people down.
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Sure itās like everything isnāt it?
Very like English Premier League football in fact.
Yeah. But the āall nurses are angelsā stuff irks me. Iāve met some absolute weapons and not just in Coppers. Doctors too.
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NOT ALL NURSES
Thereās a grain of veracity to this. You occasionally need to reinforce your point.
This is where an apprenticeship on TFK proves itās worth:
āI mightnāt always be right but Iām never wrong.ā
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@Heyyoubehindthebushes - Rodericks thoughts on Nuclear
I try to take a pragmatic approach to this. Discussion of new nuclear power in Ireland is, in my opinion, a distraction from the real solutions, for Ireland, which is to advance our renewable energy sources
Wind and solar are getting more efficient every year. We have the plans in place; the Greens kick-started the process. We have almost unlimited potential for offshore wind. We need to double down on what weāre best placed to deliver, not go down a nuclear rabbit hole.
There are a few issues that require a nuanced debate. Existing nuclear energy and new nuclear energy are very different things.
In general development of new nuclear has proven to take 20 years in France and the UK, has cost many multiples of wind and solar power, and has a very significant long term liability of waste and decommissioning costs, even if you consider it safe. This makes no sense in the Irish context where we have already contracted more than enough required green electricity than we need.
Doing new nuclear from scratch in Ireland would take even longer than 20 years, as weād first have to repeal the Act banning it and then draw up the basic regulations we would need. We have few places it could be put given the strict IIEA criteria for siting, and I doubt many people would be keen to have a plant nearby. So, I think youād be looking at a circa 30 year project, by which time it would be too late to actually help us with our decarbonisation goals.
Yes, there will be some times where we may need additional power when the wind is not blowing or the sun is not shining, I am confident however that a mixture of existing technologies available today including short term battery storage, flexibility and particularly interconnection will give us the time to develop the long term storage solutions that will be needed in the late 2030s.
There are new nuclear technologies being advanced - primarily SMRs (small modular reactors). These are very much in their infancy. There are only 2 SMRs operating across the entire World - one in Russia, one in China. The technology may take off, though I note one of the big companies driving SMRs in the US went bust in the last 18 months. I do not think we should be delaying the roll out of the very doable plans for offshore wind that we have in place, on the basis of a technology that is not yet tested at scale.
Ireland should do what it has a competitive advantage in. That is wind, and (surprisingly given how bad the weather usually is), solar. We will end up importing electricity that has been generated via nuclear through interconnectors with France, and will have more with the Celtic Interconnector. In this case, we buy it when we need it, and they have the expertise to deliver the power with a well developed nuclear industry. Thatās a reality of the interconnected energy system that we operate in. What Ireland should be brining to that interconnected energy system is electricity generated by renewables. In a few years time, we will be able to sell this into the European grid - weāll actually be an energy exporter.
Finally, I do think from an environmental perspective itās important to point out that nuclear energy produces waste that no one has yet figured out how to dispose of for the geological timescales during which it remains hazardous. Our other energy options donāt have this problem and as a Green Iām not keen on a technology that entails passing on problems to future generations that donāt have a say in what weāre doing now (weāre already doing enough of that with climate change).
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After the corporation tax golden goose we have another golden goose there for the taking with the amount of renewable energy at our disposal.
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I wouldnāt be without it anyways.
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Everything is grand until itās not grand. The GAA insurance is great (hat tip Allianz) I donāt know what lads do with the soccer etc if theyāve none of their own
One Our Father and three Hail Marys for the imaginary, made up, fake suicide victim who doesnāt exist
IF YOU DONāT MIND
Jesus Christ, these fuckers have no shame, thatās cat 
This woman in the bottom left spreads a tricolour on the steps so she wonāt get her arse wet 
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I donāt know
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Lifetime Community Rating is a system where the older you are when you first buy health insurance, the more expensive it will be. This applies only to people from age 35 and above.
- If you are aged 35 or above but you already have health insurance, the cost of your health insurance will not change based on your age.
- If you are aged 35 or above when you first buy health insurance, you will have to pay an extra 2% of the gross cost of your policy for each year above the age of 34 that you didnāt have health insurance. This additional charge is called a Lifetime Community Rating loading.
For example, if you are 45 years old and you have had health insurance since you were 28, you will pay the same amount as someone aged 28 or aged 75 with the same health insurance policy. However, if you buy health insurance for the first time when you are 45, you will have to pay a Lifetime Community Rating of 22% (11 years x 2%). This means that you will have to pay ā¬1220 for a health insurance policy with a gross cost of ā¬1000.
Howeverā¦
There are exceptions and rules for people that have spent time abroad or have moved here and you can have a break in cover of up to 13 weeks without being charged a Lifetime Community Rating loading.
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Additionally, policies while available for āfamiliesā are priced individually
Two adults, 1 child, with one of the adults over 35 the only person ā loadedā will be the over 35
3 people will be priced/costed individually on the invoice
The other 2 wonāt be penalised
Ive asked a few people about this in the real world and while almost everyone is happy they have it and the peace of mind it provides the general consensus is the public system is just as good if there is anything serious wrong with you or an emergency
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Yes
Following the backlash over the missteps calling in the army - Government may have retained the services of this individualā¦
Being assertive and an advocate for yourself in medical care is not unique honestly. I am also very familiar with the gold standard places in the US (which you pay for but thatās by the by).
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