Paying medical procedures for the helper.

J

Jenster

Registered User
Hi all,

I am busy looking for a new helper and came across a mature lady with glowing references. When I contacted the previous employer I asked her about the sickness record. She said that in the past, she has let her maid go for a scan every two months or so as she has chronic gynecological issues. If I decided to take her on, would we be responsible for the cost of the scans and any treatment?

Sorry if it's an obvious question?!
 
yes, you are responsible for all medical costs incurred while she is employed by you... which is why insurance, i believe, is mandatory.
 
Many insurance plans do not cover pre-conditions which this would be...to be frank, I would not hire this helper, no matter how good she is. We had a helper who had was sick and it turned out that she had kidney failure and needed dialysis. Of course we had to pay, but it got very expensive and we had to send her back to the philipines for treatment where ahe eventually passed away because we just couldnt continue the payments and she didn't have money. Knowing that sending her back was sending her to die was a very bad feeling...don't want others to have to go through the same thing. There are plenty of good helpers...jut at need to be patient.
 
What a terrible thing to have to go through for the both of you...

You're right, I'll just keep looking.

Thanks for your input.
 
I think you need to ask her if she's seeing a government dr or a private one? if she's already in the government system then it is free.
 
think they are uping the fee to $100/visit and you will have to pay for certain medication - not all are covered. like my one that had real big issues - the government would not provide her with kidney dialysis for more than 3mths (that was at a cost of $46/session...this was a long time ago then, prices will have increased...)point is though...she was forced to go private, which i wasn't able to afford, and thus, having her sent back to the Philippines where she could get dialysis for cheaper. she got complications and died from an infection due to the dialysis.

why bring more worry to the household? i'm sure you'll find someone. try asking your friends helper to give you some recommendations - at least you dont have to start from scratch in a sense! good luck!
 
To be honest, I am totally disillusioned by the whole helper set up now. Most people I speak to have some sort of issue with their helper, and many have horror stories about stealing etc. We acquired our last helper from a friends helper's recommendation, so I don't really want to go down that road again.

Anyhow, I don't want to sound too negative!

Thanks all for your input.
 
the problem with people sharing helper stories is this:

if the helper does something good, people generally tell their spouse (maybe their best friend, too)...

if the helper does something bad, people generally tell everyone they know.

same rule applies for businesses. if you frequent a great place, you may tell one or two people about it. if you go somewhere that was horrible, one usually tells every person they know about it.
 
Generally I find referrals from friends (ie. employers or ex-employers of DH) to be more reliable than from other helpers (whose references may be motivated by friend/kinship and other considerations not related to ability).

Why not head down to one of the more reputable agencies - I've heard good things about Josie James on Pottinger St from my helper, so it seems trusted by DHs) and see if there are any who strikes you as a good candidate. When I was processing myDH forms, I saw a number sitting in the waiting area on Sunday. That way, you can use your own instincts rather than blindly trust someone else's judgement.
 
i've hired from an agency two out of three times. (the once we didn't was because we were hiring our helper's husband.)

what i liked about the agency is that you can conduct 30 interviews in a single sunday. all of the candidates are right there for you to interview.....kill many birds with one stone.
 
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