Offaly Deputy Carol Nolan has urged Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to look into the ‘deeply unfair and inflexible’ rules
11:20, 15 Jul 2026Updated 11:23, 15 Jul 2026
Hospital maternity room operating room
Elderly people with private healthcare insurance are being forced to pay for maternity leave they will never use, a TD has revealed.
Offaly Deputy Carol Nolan has urged Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to look into the “deeply unfair and inflexible” rules.
The revelation comes after an 80-year-old constituent was told by VHI she could not receive any refund or adjustment for maternity benefits and addiction‑related mental health cover that were included in her policy, despite being entirely irrelevant to her circumstances.
She said this is a wider issue which affects vulnerable customers across Ireland.
Deputy Nolan said: “What has happened to my constituent is not an isolated incident. I am hearing from more and more constituents who feel they are being boxed into rigid, one‑size‑fits‑all insurance plans that simply do not reflect their needs.
Carol Nolan TD
“It is completely unreasonable to expect an 80‑year‑old woman to pay for a policy that includes maternity benefits which she will never require. Yet under the current Minimum Benefit Regulations, insurers are compelled to include these items and customers are left footing the bill.”
Deputy Nolan said she had written to VHI seeking clarity on whether there is any discretion within the policy terms to offer partial refunds or adjustments where mandatory benefits are clearly unnecessary.
She has also asked whether VHI has made representations to the Health Insurance Authority or the Department of Health seeking greater flexibility for policyholders.
A general view of the Department of Health headquarters on Baggot Street Lower in Dublin.
After the HSE, this time the Department of Health was under a cyber attack, which resulted in the shutdown of much of its IT infrastructure.
On Sunday, 16 May 2021, in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Offaly TD added: “I am not singling out VHI, because this is a systemic issue and VHI’s response makes it clear that the problem lies in the regulatory framework itself. That is why I have raised this matter directly with the Minister for Health.
“The Minister must ensure that the Health Insurance Authority is equipped to provide robust consumer protection and that the regulations governing minimum benefits are reviewed as a matter of urgency. Elderly people should not be penalised by a system that refuses to recognise their actual healthcare needs.”
Before adding: “This is about basic cop-on and fairness for older people. We cannot allow a situation where they are effectively mis‑sold costly policies that bring no real benefits and that serve no purpose for them.”
VHI said: “Health Insurance in Ireland is Community Rated, that means that the 25-year-old pays the same price as the 85-year-old for the same plan . It is different to for example, car insurance, which is risk-rated.
“Under the legislation there are also minimum benefits which much by law be provided for on each plan – this includes some maternity cover and some cover for mental health . Minimum Benefits set the minimum level of cover that an inpatient health insurance contract must include.”
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