Families face €280 hike on Quinn health policies

LESS than a week before they find out the full rigours of the budget, 500,000 customers of Quinn health insurance must prepare for increases of up to €280 in the cost of their family policy.

The insurance company has become the latest to raise the cost of health cover, with a 12% increase to come into effect from January 1.

Each policyholder will be subject to the hike on the renewal date of their policy. Only last April, the insurer upped its prices by 6%.

There are fears that further increases may be on the way for all health insurance policy holders if the Government presses ahead with plans to eliminate the subsidy provided for private medical treatment carried out in public hospitals.

That could generate €370 million for the public health system but could mean health insurance cost rises of up to 50% in the future.

Quinn Healthcare blamed “financial pressures across Ireland’s health insurance industry”, which, it said, had been compounded by the Government’s “repeated increases to the health insurance levy since its introduction in 2009”.