Warning over huge hikes in health insurance costs

Consumers have been warned to expect double-digit premium hikes on their health insurance in 2017.

Health insurance expert Dermot Goode, founder of Totalhealthcover, said that up to 400,000 Irish people with health insurance plans were due to receive notices of renewal this month alone for 2017 and claimed that they would face “massive price hikes” unless they shopped around the market and studied available health plans.

Up to 45% of all those with health insurance will receive renewal notices this month, or in the first quarter of next year, according to the firm.