Experts warn failure to shop around could be costly with health insurance hikes on the way

A health insurance expert has warned of more health insurance hikes in January and says that failure to shop around could prove very costly, especially for families.

Health insurance analyst Dermot Goode of www.totalhealthcover.ie said some premiums had increased by up to 14% this year.

About 45% of the private health insurance population is due to renew their cover in the first three months of the new year.