EU ruling to impact BUPA and VHI costs

A EUROPEAN Commission ruling yesterday will have significant long-term impact on the cost of health insurance for both VHI and BUPA customers.

The commission ruling opens the way for the Government to force BUPA to pay €25m to rival health insurers VHI.

VHI said last night that even if it got the €25m pay-out, it would not reduce its premium costs for customers. However, a spokesperson said the pay-off would slow down the rate by which premiums are increasing every year.