Elderly ‘fearful and very angry’ over VHI hikes

OLDER people were left feeling very fearful and very angry after the VHI announced increased health insurance premiums, Age Action’s Eamon Timmins said yesterday.

Many of the people who called Age Action, he said, had been VHI customers for 40 years or more and were reaching a stage where they could no longer afford private health insurance.

“We are seeing the first symptoms of an increased health need among Ireland’s ageing population but the big question is who is going to pay for it,” he said.