In case you missed it, the UK began rolling out the new Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine today, and the first person to be immunized was a 90 year old woman native to Ireland who apparently was visiting family in the UK. (Irish Times article)
On my personal health and welfare front, I discovered the Irish government just launched a new online application for requesting a Personal Public Service (PPS) number, the equivalent of a Social Security number here in Ireland. I had originally submitted an application via email on August 18 in advance of my arrival to Ireland, thinking that I needed it for the lease agreement on my apartment (thankfully it wasn’t required). Then I followed up in October and November via email, but I did not receive anything back other than an automated email saying that they are processing requests “in order they are received.”
I decided to submit a new online application form to see if that would yield an earlier result than my emailed application, which was only a temporary measure employed by the Department of Social Protection due to COVID-19. Now it sounds like an in-person appointment will be required again as it was previously. Also, in order to be issued a PPSN, you must have meet a “reason” requirement, which is a circular chicken-and-egg nightmare… they want you to provide proof of needing a PPSN (e.g., to access medical services, obtain a driver’s license), but you need a PPSN in the first place to to apply for those services. In the online PPSN application, I stated my reason was for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) application, which I printed as a PDF with the blank PPSN field highlighted and uploaded as supporting documentation. An EHIC, by the way, provides access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any EU country (and a few other non-EU countries like the UK, Norway, Iceland, etc.). Hopefully this works!
I’ve been anxiously checking my email inbox for a follow up from the recruiter about the contract job at the Higher Education Authority mentioned in yesterday’s post, but so far nothing. At least I haven’t received a “no” yet. Unfortunately, I’ve been stuck at home all day just in case I needed to be ready for an interview, and I had to cancel plans with my walking buddy CJ which is a real shame given the clearer weather.
Being home today turned out to be a good thing, though. I finally received a package that my friend A had shipped on November 20 containing a couple of prescription refills for me. Technically, you’re not supposed to ship prescription internationally, but he included it surreptitiously along with some tea (he works for a specialty tea place). My initial plan for obtaining my prescriptions was to have them filled by my old pharmacy in San Francisco, delivered to my mailbox service in SF, then have them mailed to my international forwarding service who would then finally re-ship them to Ireland. The first two steps in this plan worked, but my international forwarding service wouldn’t re-ship them to Ireland (they are very particular about completing the custom forms accurately and told me they’re not licensed to ship prescription medicines). So this meant my prescriptions were stuck “on hold” at their warehouse facility in Portland, Oregon. Thankfully, my friend A lives in Portland and was able to physically pick them up from the warehouse and then ship them to me himself. I was worried I might have missed delivery of the package, since according to the USPS tracking it had arrived to Ireland on November 28, but I guess it just took awhile for the Irish postal service to get it to my door.
In celebration, this afternoon I enjoyed a cup of “Lord Bergamot” tea my friend A sent me (it was really good):
As an alternative solution to this challenge, I have been looking to a company called Expatriate Prescription Services that caters to people in my situation who need prescriptions issued in the U.S. to be filled/shipped overseas. They seem legitimate based on the Better Business Bureau accreditation on their website and the fact that other websites with tips for U.S. travelers/expats have mentioned them. I created an account and had my prescriptions sent to them, however, they responded saying they can’t coordinate with my insurance up front so I would have to pay out of pocket and then submit a reimbursement request. Not ideal.
Now I’m back to my original strategy, but instead of using my international forwarding service, I’m going to have my prescriptions mailed to someone in the U.S. who can then re-ship them to me in Ireland along with some other stuff like my friend A did. I also just got off the phone with my insurance company who authorized a 90-day supply for my most important prescription, so that would solve the problem for awhile.
All of this, of course, is a temporary work-around until I am more settled here in Ireland. Ideally, I would get either medical insurance through an employer or sign up for the public insurance “medical card” program here. The trick with getting a medical card is that you need to be someone who is ‘ordinarily resident’ in Ireland, meaning that you are already living here and “intend” to live here for at least one year. But how do they determine what your intentions are?! Is it based on employment or housing status? It seems like a bureaucratic morass subject to the whims of whoever is processing your request. And it goes without saying that you first need a PPSN to apply. Sigh.
Interestingly, I just came across this very helpful article, Healthcare in Ireland: A guide to the Irish healthcare system, that is on TransferWise’s website — they’re the multi-currency service I’ve been using for my Euro account and debit card. Another good resource for expats!
Until next time…
