Martin urged to block 18% VHI hike
If granted, the increase will push VHI premia up by 33% in less than two years. “We are outraged,” said CAI chief executive Dermott Jewell. “People just can’t take another increase of this magnitude.”
Last year, the VHI raised its rates twice by 6.25% in February and by 9% last September. “Are the VHI pitching high so that they will get a lesser amount or are they determined to look for this 18%,” Mr Jewell asked. “Either way, what consumers need is for the minister to veto it again. We’ve seen serious increases from those involved in the healthcare sector and it’s not good enough for the minister to be accepting these price rises. It’s not good enough for the one and a half million people who are being asked to pay this level of increase. What they need is for the minister to ask what is the necessity for these increases,” Mr Jewell said.
