12.5% price hike for VHI users

VHI subscribers face a steep hike in annual fees after Tánaiste Mary Harney signaled last night she would not block demands from the insurance giant for premium increases of 12.5%.

The rise would see members on VHI’s Plan B paying €61 more per year and the cost for a family would leap by €165.

The VHI board insisted the price rise would have been 18.5% if it had not decided to internally absorb the cost of the health minister’s controversial decision to reject risk equalisation.