Vhi seeking 12.5% premium hike to offset €32m losses

The Vhi is seeking an increase of 12.5% in premiums from September of this year in response to major financial losses last year.

The company said today that it lost €32.3m in 2005, compared to a profit of just under €4m the previous year. It is blaming the turnaround in fortunes on the absence of risk equalisation in the Irish health insurance market.