53,000 cancel health cover

More than 50,000 people have cancelled private health insurance policies in the first nine months of this year, putting increasing pressure on a creaking public hospital system.

Latest Health Insurance Authority (HIA) figures confirm that, at the end of September, just under 2.2 million people had in-patient insurance cover.

And, this week, VHI warned of a 50% premium increase because of plans to charge for private beds in public hospitals.