Number of people with health insurance declines for the first time since 2020

Average weighted insurance premium now stands at €1950

Chief executive of the Health Insurance Authority Brian Lee: 'We would always encourage consumers to look at their plans at renewal — this is the best way of stimulating competition, as overall prices continue to rise.'

The number of people with health insurance declined during the second quarter of this year for the first time since 2020, as the average cost of insurance policies have increased by 2.7% so far this year.

According to the Health Insurance Authority’s latest market bulletin, there was a fall of 1,663 people insured between April and June compared to the previous three-month period, representing a decline of 0.1%. 

This is the first quarter-on-quarter decline since the second quarter of 2020.

The HIA said historical trends had shown seasonal patterns and the second quarter usually saw the weakest growth of the year.

It also noted that historically, the period between July and September has been one of the strongest quarters for membership growth, and future market bulletins would help determine whether the slowdown observed in the second quarter persists.

Compared to the second quarter of last year, the number of people insured was up 0.8%. As of the end of June, there are 2.55 million people with patient health insurance.

There has been a slight decrease in the weighted average premium paid, from €1,960 to €1,950. However, this is still up from the average of €1,899 recorded at the start of the year.

“This is a development that the HIA will be monitoring closely, particularly as the average cost of policies has increased overall since the start of the year by 2.7%,” the authority said.

Chief executive of the HIA Brian Lee said the small decrease in premiums this quarter “could be consumers moving to lower priced plans”.

“I welcome this development, and we would always encourage consumers to look at their plans at renewal — this is the best way of stimulating competition, as overall prices continue to rise.”

 “Consumers should not assume that renewing with their current plan is their only option,” he said.

The report by the HIA comes as health insurance companies continue to raise prices.

Recently both Laya Healthcare and VHI have announced increases to their premiums starting on October 1. Laya has indicated there will be an average increase of 2.7% and VHI announced an average price increase of 2.75%.

Premiums paid to insurers in the 12 months to June 30 reached €4.05bn, up from €3.73bn in the previous 12-month period, representing an increase of 8.7%.

The other major provider Irish Life Health has already increased prices twice this year, once at the start of January and a second at the beginning of April.

According to the HIA, VHI holds 48.3% of the market, with Laya and Irish Life Health holding 27.1% and 20.6% respectively. Level Health holds 1.4%, with the remainder being restricted membership undertakings that provide health insurance to their members only.

There were 320 inpatient health insurance plans available at the end of June, a drop of 12 since the start of the year, with eight new plans introduced and 16 plans retired in 2026.

The HIA said the majority of consumers had plans which provide substantial cover in private hospitals, but this cover is mainly provided for in semi-private accommodation. 

Just 8% of consumers have plans which provide cover in mainly public hospitals, and these are typically cheaper policies.