VHI: Older clients will pay more

THE country’s largest private health insurance provider has warned that older customers will end up paying more for their healthcare unless a new “robust mechanism” is introduced to overhaul the health insurance sector.

The stark warning came as the VHI announced an across the board 8% increase in membership fees from next month which could see a typical family of four paying €15 a month more for their VHI cover.

In announcing the price increase, which will see the cost of policies rise by between 6% and 9.5%, VHI chief executive Jimmy Tolan said that the VHI had lost 120,000 customers last year, with some transferring to competitors, including Hibernian Aviva and Quinn Healthcare.