FOR many of us, health insurance is high on the list of financial products which that we tend to avoid changing out of fear and confusion.

Having the right health insurance coverage is becoming more important for customers than the cost, the Health Insurance Authority has found.

A company providing bespoke health insurance cover for certain foreign students here is challenging a notice that it must stop selling the policy to those whose courses last more than one academic year, the High Court heard.

Irish consumers face expensive decisions on many types of insurances, writes Nick Charalambous.

Health insurance is a topic I have covered in the past but it is worth returning to as a number of recent developments in the market could mean good news for consumers.

The country’s largest health insurer is cutting premiums across plans that cover 90% of its customers.

More than 600 people joined a major consumer switching campaign after broadband and energy price hikes were announced over the weekend, writes Conall Ó Fátharta. 

Consumer advice with Gráinne McGuinness

The number of people with private health insurance has risen for two years in a row, with trends showing a further 30,000 covered by inpatient plans last year than in 2015.

Older people invariably pay more than any other age group for health insurance and older people are more likely to be unaware of corporate plans available, writes Gráinne McGuinness.

The number of people securing health insurance increased by 30,000 in the past year, it has emerged.

Private health insurance premiums rose almost 8% over the past year. Premiums were 7.7% higher last month, compared to January 2016, according to the latest Consumer Price Index from the Central Statistics Office.

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

Private health insurance might be good for your well-being but could be harming your pocket, according to the Health Insurance Authority whose research shows that less than a quarter of policy holders have swtiched plans.

Government plans to hike health insurance levies by 10% is “bad news” for consumers, a health insurance expert has warned.

At least half of Irish families are overpaying anywhere between hundreds to thousands of euro on health insurance cover.

We are spending less on health insurance, with the average premium paid last year €1,173 — a 2% decline on €1,200 in 2014.

There was a slight decrease in average private health insurance premiums last year, it has emerged.

Consumers are shooting themselves in the foot by not shopping around for health insurance, a financial expert has warned.

Nearly one in four people with private health insurance have switched providers, it has emerged.

Gráinne McGuinness has advice on value for health insurance policies.

There has been a last-minute surge in people taking out health insurance ahead of the imposition of new membership rules at midnight tonight, a spokesperson for the Health Insurance Authority said yesterday.

People Before Profit has accused Health Minister Leo Varadkar of acting like a “tout” for the private health insurance industry.

Pre-tax profits at Aviva Health Insurance more than doubled last year to €18m in spite of a loss in market share.

Around 30,000 people have cancelled their health insurance cover over the past 12 months.

Almost 30,000 people have dropped in-patient health insurance over the last 12 months.

Health Minister Leo Varadkar has announced a package of measures designed to address rising health insurance premiums and stabilise prices.

More than 660,000 people could drop their health insurance if premiums increase between 1% and 10%, campaigners for more affordable health insurance have warned.

The number of people with health insurance is set to drop below 2 million for the first time in a decade as almost 4,000 people a month abandoned their health cover between April and June.

Up to 41,000 people dropped their health insurance in the year to the end of June, according to the Health Insurance Authority this morning.

Health cover penalty plan a non-runner

More than 1,600 people are giving up private health insurance cover every week, new figures show.

There has been another fall in the number of people with private health insurance.

The VHI has cut child and student premiums by 50% on most of its plans to encourage cash-strapped families to take out private health cover.

Unless one is able to read the murkiest of tea leafs, one would be totally confused about what is going on in GSOC at the moment.

Aviva raising premiums by up to 20%, costing families an extra €700