Health insurers ordered to be more straight-forward with their customers

Health insurers have been ordered to stop confusing customers and discouraging them from shopping around for the best deals.

New rules set down by the Central Bank say insurers must collect more information from new customers to help them get the best policy to suit their needs.

They must also give existing customers clear choices in renewal notices, encouraging them to talk through their options instead of simply auto-renewing them on their existing cover.