r/MoveToIreland • u/Megnificent_Philly • Feb 11 '26

Health insurance question

We’re moving to Ireland later this year, so I will be transferring to my company’s Galway office. I know I will get full health insurance through work, but the plan says it doesn’t cover prescriptions. Do we get a separate plan for that?

3 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

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20

u/crescendodiminuendo Feb 11 '26

No, there’s no separate plan for medications. The max you’ll pay per month is €80 per family though under the Drugs Payment Scheme. Prescriptions for certain illnesses (eg Diabetes) are covered in full under the Long Term Illness Scheme

3

u/Team503 Feb 13 '26

That's not completely true. Some drugs are not covered, and you will pay out of pocket. I pay nearly 200 euro per month on meds since I switched employers and my new private insurance doesn't cover prescription meds.

Before you ask, bupropion and stellara are the big offenders.

1

u/crescendodiminuendo Feb 13 '26 edited Feb 13 '26

Have you applied for the DPS? You don’t get it automatically- you have a o submit an application.

The majority of medicines that are licenced in the state will be covered and doctors can make a case to others to the HSE (we had one which was unlicensed in the form prescribed but they agreed to cover it).

Edited to add - I can see the ones you’ve mentioned aren’t covered so you’re right to highlight them.

3

u/Team503 Feb 13 '26

I am registered for the DPS - thanks to my pharmacist for telling me about that years ago! - and yes, they're not covered. They really SHOULD be, they're not particularly exotic medications and bupropion is commonly prescribed in the US for everything from depression to ADHD to quitting smoking. Stellara is a biological to treat my psoriasis (an autoimmune disorder), but at least I only have to buy it every three months.

3

u/crescendodiminuendo Feb 13 '26

Reflecting back and the more I think of it you’re right to bring it up (so apologies for the quick off mark response) - when you think about it a lot of the GLP weight loss drugs (which are more and more common) are not covered as well, which might be a shock to some as they tend to be €€€.

1

u/Team503 Feb 13 '26

Hey no worries! It's funny that even with a great tech job and private insurance, i still pay more out of pocket for prescriptions here in a month than I'd pay in a year in the States.

3

u/Team503 Feb 13 '26

Everyone else has covered the DPS, and most medications are covered, but there are a number that are not. For example, bupropion (aka Wellbutrin) is not covered.

It's also worth knowing that any eligible medical expenses (which includes prescriptions) not covered by insurance are eligible for partial reimbursement with your taxes. Once you're set up in the Revenue page, you can enter your expenses (including receipts!) and you will receive 20% of what you've paid as a tax refund. It's not a ton, but it's way more than nothing.

1

u/Megnificent_Philly Feb 13 '26

How much is bupropian?

1

u/Team503 Feb 13 '26 edited Feb 13 '26

I was paying 200 euro pm for 300mg daily - I'm not sure exactly how much of that was bupropion and how much was other stuff, but at least 150pm is the bupropion.

0

u/Megnificent_Philly Feb 13 '26

Yikes

2

u/Team503 Feb 13 '26

Yeah. On the upside it prompted me to work with my psychologist to re-assess my meds, and we've lowered the dosage (in half) without significant effect, so yay for my kidneys (and wallet)!

1

u/GullibleComplex-0601 Mar 04 '26

Its bad for kidneys?

1

u/Team503 Mar 04 '26

All medicine (and everything else in the blood) is filtered out through your kidneys. The more than needs to be filtered out, the more stress it puts on your kidneys. This includes everything from urea to excess drugs - whether it's Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen), or something like ramipril (for blood pressure) or bupropion.

I have high blood pressure and I'm medicated for it, which combined with my AuDHD meds means I take four pills every morning. Before the reduction it was six. Less is better!

4

u/lisagrimm Feb 11 '26

You'll be shocked at how cheap prescriptions are here - we used to pay (with insurance) more than $500/month, and when we first moved (before we got on the the various LT schemes already mentioned), our local pharmacy was *horrified* that we were paying something like €75, and kept throwing in free stuff as they felt so bad about it. Some plans will offer a small annual cover for prescriptions (like maybe €150/year total), but in general, you don't need it.

3

u/Megnificent_Philly Feb 11 '26

Thank you so much, this is great. We do have a type 1 diabetic in the family so we’ll have to see what we need to do.

4

u/the_syco Feb 12 '26

Is it for insulin? If you intend on living in Ireland for at least a year, you sign up for the LTI (Long Term Illness) scheme, and they get the insulin for free. Also any insulin related equipment, for free.

If you don't intend on living in Ireland for a year, you sign up for the DPS (Drug Payment Scheme) that there's a monthly cap of €80 for the majority of prescriptions for the person or their entire family.

So basically, insulin is either free, or €80 a month.

1

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1

u/mawktheone Feb 12 '26

The total cost for most common drugs are capped at 80 euro per family per month. Thats for Everything combined, not for each medicine.

You'll just have to register for this card:

Drugs Payment Scheme card

1

u/FewAir5321 Feb 12 '26

You will need to try to find a gp as soon as possible to have someone to take over writing the prescriptions (I would start making phone calls as soon as you know where you'll be living) but with a very small number of medications (ozempic outside of diabetes for example) you'll max out at 80 a month for the family. Even if it takes a little while to get the drugs payment scheme paperwork sorted the drugs won't be that expensive to just buy privately. 

1

u/GullibleComplex-0601 Mar 04 '26

Ozempic for only $80 a month?

1

u/FewAir5321 Mar 04 '26

If you're diabetic yes the state pays the rest of the cost (actually it's probably even less as it's 80 for ALL your families medication in total). Otherwise it's one of the very few medications not covered, I think it's about 200 if you're on it just for weight loss. 

1

u/Chance_Housing_7779 Feb 12 '26

Most pay as they go for them. They are usually cheap if you don't have a long term condition.

1

u/Annual-Set2190 Feb 13 '26

Generally prescriptions are not covered in Health Insurance in Ireland. It's not a huge cost in most cases. But there are some alternatives..

In Ireland, individuals without a medical card can limit their prescription costs to a maximum of €80 per month per household using the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS). You must apply for a DPS card to avail of this cap, which covers approved prescription drugs, medicines, and certain appliances.

1

u/Team503 Feb 13 '26

And there are plenty of drugs that are NOT covered. While the DPS is great, it is limited in scope.

1

u/Boring_Marketing_259 Feb 15 '26

Meds in Ireland are cheap if you’re moving from USA a fraction of the cost . Friwnd of mine was paying $2200 a month for his Colitis meds in USA capped at €80 a month in Ireland

1

u/FirstExit5103 Mar 02 '26

It sounds like you are trying to figure out health coverage across borders which can be a bit difficult. A lot of plans do separate prescriptions coverage but you can often fill the gap with add-ons or supplemental plans exploring specific add-ons or supplemental plans especially if you are moving abroad. Have you had the chance to check whether your employer offers a prescription drug plan or any international coverage options?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 13 '26

Prescriptions are dirt cheap here. The most important thing by far is to get that private health insurance and not have to stay in a public hospital if you have the choice. Your care is likely to be far superior in the private system here.