VHI to increase prices by up to 5% from November

Health insurer says first price rise in 20 months is needed to cover cost of claims

The cost of health insurance with VHI Healthcare is set to increase by up to 5 per cent from the beginning of November.

In a statement the company said the increases would range from between 1 per cent and 5 per cent depending on the cover.

The average increase will be 2 per cent.

The company said the price increase – the first in 20 months – was unavoidable as the extra revenue was needed to cover the cost of claims.

“More of our customers require access to quality healthcare including access to new and improved medical technologies, new life-saving drugs and new treatments as they come available but these come at a cost,” VHI marketing director Declan Moran said in a statement.

He added that the company remained “totally committed to managing costs and reducing inefficiencies in our business in order to keep health insurance affordable for our customers”.

The move will add just more than €100 to the cost of a family policy under the One Plan family plan and will take the total cost for two adults and two children to €2,708 per year.

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Conor Pope

Conor Pope

Conor Pope is Consumer Affairs Correspondent, Pricewatch Editor