Newsletter 23rd October 2016

Annual Commemorative Mass For Deceased Colleagues

The annual Commemorative Mass for deceased colleagues and those associated with RTÉ will take place on  Wednesday, 2nd November, 2016 at 1.00pm in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook.  This year we are delighted to welcome an ensemble from the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and RTÉ Cór na-nÓg.  Everyone is very welcome.   This Commemorative Mass is an occasion to remember and honour those who have preceded us in RTÉ, whose work helped to create and maintain our organisation. 

Those staff who died in the past twelve months and whom we particularly remember are:

John (Jack)  Brabazon (Video Maintenance)

Burt Budin (Producer/Director)

Wesley Burrowes (Scriptwriter)

Paddy Clarke (Drawing Office & RTÉ Museum)

Vincent Clarke (Lighting Director)

Noel Coade (Studios Manager)

Michael Conlon (External Operations , Radio)

Desmond Cryan (Newsroom)

Aidan Dempsey (CEL - RTÉ Guide)

Jim Fuller (Printing)

Anthony Gannon (Staging)

Douglas Gunn (Balance & Control Officer)

John Halloran (News)

Mary Jablonski (née Maguire) (RTÉ NSO)

Patrick Kearney (Television Production Executive)

Doris Lawlor (RTÉ Concert Orchestra)

Paul Little (Production, Planning & Control TV)

Jim Lynch (News)

Richard ( Dick) Nevin ( Electrical Services)

Séamus Mac Géidigh (Raidío na Gaeltachta)

Michael (Mickmac) McCarthy (Mechanical Services)

Cornelius McCormack (Networks)

Mary McCormack (née Daly) (TV Presentation & Drama)

Margaret McNamee (Radio Programme Administration) 

Victor Malirsh (RTÉ NSO)

James O'Donnell (Office Services)

Thomas O'Hagan (Film Production Dept)

Mary O’Rourke (née Gallagher) (RTÉ NSO)

Una  Pierce (née Crowley) (Vision Mixing)

Mike Purcell (Floor Manager)

Maurice Quinn (RTÉ Sports Programming Radio)

Patrick (JP) Ryan (Staging)

Helmut Seeber (RTÉ NSO)

Jennifer Smith (News)

James Stanley Warren (RTÉ Staff Relations / Personnel)

Thomas Warren (Balance & Control Officer)

Terry Wogan (Presenter)

Suaimhneas síoraí dá n-anam.

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Private Health Insurance – Don’t pay anymore than you have to!

Dermot Goode Meeting and Information

 

As outlined in the Superann Newsletter on the 18th September Eddie Bolger and a group of colleagues met with Dermot Goode, Total Health Cover to offer advice to the RTÉ Pensioners Association on Health Insurance Cover.. Dermot promised an update which he has now sent as follows.

Consider carefully Dermot's offer of an impartial review for  € 125.00 in the second last paragraph of the document.  Simply email the name of your existing plan, your renewal date and your own contact details and you will be contacted with a suggested date and time for the phone-based review. Contact Dermot Goode directly on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

 Health insurance rates are on the rise again and in some cases, the cumulative increase could be in excess of 10%.  However, with over 365 schemes on the market, there are plans to suit all requirements and budgets.

Too many consumers remain on the same plan and fail to review their cover annually.  Factors such as fear of change, concern about pre-existing conditions,  insurer loyalty, confusion with the vast array of plans etc. are often cited as reasons for doing nothing.  However, if you are on the same plan for two years or more, then you are more than likely overpaying for your cover.  Remember, you get full credit for all previous membership, so there are no new waiting periods for pre-existing conditions to worry about if you switch to equivalent cover.

Always engage with your insurer approximately 4 weeks prior to your renewal date.  Check if they have any lower-cost equivalents to your existing plan.  If you find an alternative plan that matches your requirements, always have the insurer confirm exactly what you’re losing or gaining before you change.  Always be aware of the Upgrade Rule which may restrict your cover for any additional benefits to your previous plan for 2 years for any pre-existing conditions.  The best advice is to treat health insurance  as you would car or home insurance.  Shop around each year and if you find a better deal, take it!  Remember, in many cases you don’t even need to change insurer as you may be able to obtain better overall cover from your existing provider.  To avoid unnecessary shortfalls, always check all treatment and scans in advance with your health insurer.

The Health Insurance Authority (HIA) website is an excellent reference site for information on new plans and discounted offers (www.hia.ie).  Remember, the HIA are not permitted to provide any type of advisory service.

For those interested in an impartial review of their health cover, they can contact Dermot Goode directly on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   

This a fee based service (€125 per review) which guarantees each customer impartial advice across all plans and health insurers in the market based on their specific requirements.  Simply email the name of your existing plan, your renewal date and your own contact details and you will be contacted with a suggested date and time for the phone-based review.  This is a once-off fee which covers all time associated with the review of your cover across the market.

PHI Consulting trading as Total Health Cover is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.All rates quoted are correct as of 1/10/16 as per the Health Insurance Authority (HIA). Please note that all rates and plan details are subject to change and consumers should check all policy terms and conditions with the health insurer(s) to ensure that any alternative plan meets their exaTct requirements.