{"id":606315,"date":"2026-08-27T15:20:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T15:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/606315\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T15:20:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T15:20:15","slug":"vhi-to-hike-prices-with-some-families-likely-to-be-worse-off-by-close-to-e300-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/606315\/","title":{"rendered":"VHI to hike prices with some families likely to be worse off by close to \u20ac300 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

The VHI<\/a> is increasing the cost of its premiums again, by an average of 2.75 per cent, from the start of October. The State\u2019s largest private health insurance<\/a> provider said the hikes were necessary as a result of inflation across the healthcare sector. <\/p>\n

The move will hit different cohorts in different ways, depending on the policy they hold, but some families are likely to be worse off by close to \u20ac300 as a result of the increases. <\/p>\n

Industry commentator Dermot Goode of healthinsuranceireland.ie said it was understood that some plans could increase by up to 5 per cent.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsumers need to be very careful with the average figures quoted by insurers, as some plans could increase by double the average figure or even more. Consumers should also remember the previous rate hikes earlier in the year, which means the cumulative impact could be closer to 7 per cent or even higher,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

VHI announced an average 3 per cent rise in premiums in January that took effect from March 1st.<\/p>\n

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the provider said it had seen private hospital claims costs rise by over 9 per cent this year with day-to-day care claims costs such as GP, physiotherapy and consultants, rising by approximately 14 per cent. <\/p>\n

She said the rise in private hospital costs was also driven by an increase in claim volumes \u2013 up over 5 per cent compared with 2025 \u2013 reflecting, it said, \u201cthe continued growth in the number of members accessing healthcare services\u201d.<\/p>\n

Demand for high-cost healthcare services, including cancer, cardiac and orthopaedic care, has also increased, with the numbers accessing these services jumping by nearly 9 per cent compared with the same period last year.<\/p>\n

Claims costs for these treatments also rose, showing the continued demand for some of the most complex and costly healthcare services provided to members.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to see strong demand for healthcare services across hospitals and everyday healthcare services such as GP and consultant visits and physiotherapy,\u201d said the VHI\u2019s managing director Aaron Keogh.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile increased utilisation and healthcare costs continue to place upward pressure on claims cost, it also demonstrates the significant care and value our members receive from their cover,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

He acknowledged that health insurance is a significant financial commitment for individuals and families and pointed out that the VHI \u201cexists solely for the benefit of our members\u201d.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Woman hit with \u20ac1,784 bill after VHI rules Blackrock Clinic stay unnecessaryOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

He said the VHI paid out \u20ac1.84 billion on members\u2019 healthcare claims last year. <\/p>\n

VHI almost doubled its profits last year after it raised premiums twice. The State-owned group reported a surplus after tax of \u20ac71.2 million for 2025. That was up from \u20ac36.3 million in 2024 and from a net deficit of \u20ac43 million in 2023.<\/p>\n

Premiums in 2025 also rose twice \u2013 by an average of 3 per cent in March and another 3 per cent in October.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny surplus made by VHI is reinvested to improve member services, enhance benefits, expand access to care and support the delivery of better healthcare,\u201d Keogh said. <\/p>\n

The move comes less than a week after Laya Healthcare announced an increase in the cost of its premiums<\/a> by an average of just under 3 per cent.<\/p>\n

Depending on your health plan, the latest VHI increase could cost an individual an additional \u20ac35 to \u20ac65 a year while those on VHI\u2019s higher plans, could see increases of between \u20ac110 and \u20ac150 per year. <\/p>\n

For a typical family, the increase could add approximately \u20ac110 to the annual health insurance bill while a family on higher plans, such as advanced care extra day to day, could see a total increase of close to \u20ac260. <\/p>\n

For a retired couple on the Vhi\u2019s top Premium Care plan, the increase could add a further \u20ac300 to their annual bill. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe latest increase follows Laya Healthcare\u2019s increase announced last week and continues a similar trend of insurers increasing their rates in advance of the peak renewal period,\u201d said Goode. \u201cOn a positive note, there appears to be less upward pressure on rates, which hopefully means the days of double digit, cumulative increases may be coming to an end. \u201d<\/p>\n

He said that not all of VHI\u2019s plans are increasing in October, and further ad hoc increases could be expected between now and the end of the year on many of its corporate plans.<\/p>\n

He urged people not to accept these increases without \u201cfirst engaging with their insurer and challenging them to find similar cover that matches their budget. New plans and deals are being introduced all the time, which consumers may not be aware of unless they engage with their insurer by phone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The VHI is increasing the cost of its premiums again, by an average of 2.75 per cent, from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":571714,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,8655,61,60,92007],"class_list":["post-606315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-health-insurance","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-vhi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=606315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/571714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=606315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=606315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=606315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}