Next month marks four years since then-Minister for Health Leo Varadkar introduced Lifetime Community Rating (LCR) into the health insurance market, in order to encourage people to take out private cover.

Irish Life Health has joined Laya Healthcare in opposing claims by the HSE concerning the payment of charges for the treatment of private patients in public hospitals.

Credit unions are the top Irish brands for customer experience even as their bank rivals failed to make the top 50, while Ryanair and the social media giants such as Facebook slumped in the rankings, according to a major survey measuring how Irish shoppers were treated by companies.

Families insured by Laya Healthcare can expect to pay anywhere between €150 and €450 extra per annum from April 1, following a decision by the private health insurer to hike charges for a second time this year.

Laya, the country’s second-largest health insurer, posted a 22% increase in profits in 2015, but faced increased claims from public hospitals last year.

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

Health insurers have been ordered to stop confusing customers and discouraging them from shopping around for the best deals.

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

The head of an influential business association on the outskirts of Cork said his members still back a merger of the city and county councils, but only if the Government gives cast-iron guarantees about maintaining the city’s status.

Gráinne McGuinness has advice on value for health insurance policies.

Its motto is “choose to live a little” and after one of its staff had a scare last year, Lidl is making sure its staff can live longer by checking out their hearts and setting them a fitness challenge.

Laya Healthcare is set to increase the price of many of its products by 4%, with one health insurance expert saying that it would be a “surprise” if VHI did not follow suit before the end of the year.

Health insurance companies are experiencing a surge in callers ahead of the imposition of new membership rules but the anticipated massive jump in numbers signing up has not happened yet.

The health insurance price war is expected to hot up over the coming weeks as providers fight to win younger insurers before new penalties apply for taking out cover for the first time.

Here’s a run down of today’s business headlines.

International insurance giant AIG has confirmed its continued investment in the Irish market via the acquisition of the country’s second largest health insurer, Laya Healthcare.

The sale of Laya Healthcare — Ireland’s second largest health insurance provider, to AIG is good news for the consumer, says health insurance expert Dermot Goode.

Health insurance provider, Laya Healthcare, has confirmed the sale of 100% of its shares to international insurance organisation, AIG.

Pre-tax profits at the country’s second largest health insurer, Laya Healthcare, last year increased by 5% to €5.25m.

Smart consumers can get “phenomenal” health insurance deals if they ask the right questions.

Laya healthcare has launched three new schemes which will have their prices frozen for up to two years.

We could see more companies offering cut-price life insurance policies after one of the sector's competitors launched a 'no-frills' product.

Doctors from four private hospitals in Cork, Kerry and Waterford held a "crisis meeting" in Cork yesterday over the threat to private practice from soaring medical indemnity insurance costs.

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

Thousands of Bord Gáis electricity customers are to be hit with a 2.2% price hike from March as its winter price freeze comes to an end.

Minister for Health James Reily has said that he does not believe price hikes announced by Laya Healthcare and GloHealth are justified.

Ireland’s second largest private health insurer, Laya healthcare, is to hike its charges by an average of 20%.

Consumers are facing further hardship as another major health insurer has announced an average hike in premiums of 5.2%.

The country’s second largest health insurer, Laya Healthcare, last year returned to profit to record pre-tax profits of €4.99m.

TD's will today be told that plans to increase stamp duty on health insurance could kill the industry altogether.

Three of the country's private health insurance companies will be raising their prices because of changes to stamp duty announced by the Government yesterday.

More than 20,000 families have cancelled health insurance cover for their children over the past year — the equivalent of 55 cancellations a day.

The cost of many everyday goods and services has rocketed since austerity measures were introduced in 2008.

The country’s leading health insurers have announced a series of cash-saving offers to lure back young people — while side-stepping price hikes for the companies themselves.

Laya Healthcare said it is bucking the trend in the toughest market for health insurance in decades by growing its customer base from 450,000 to over 475,000 members in 12 months.

Laya healthcare has revealed that it has bucked the trend by growing its customer base from 450,000 to more than 475,000 members in just 12 months.

There is “no rationale” to health insurers’ argument that the Government levy is to blame for higher premiums, Health Minister James Reilly said yesterday.

The Minister for Health James Reilly has said he is concerned about the increasing cost of private health insurance, but has hit back at claims from some insurers that the health levy is to blame.

The Director of Laya Healthcare, Donal Clancy, is urging the Government not to increase the health levy at the end of this month.

Almost nine in every 10 people will deliberately delay going to a GP or hospital for medical treatment because of spiralling health insurance costs.