Majority believe having health insurance 'allows you to skip treatment queues'

The survey found that 63% of consumers viewed public health services in Ireland as inadequate with a severe lack of access and longer waiting lists.

Just under half of people think that health insurance represents good value of money, while a majority of people believe that having it means you can skip the queues.

That’s according to a new survey published by the Health Insurance Authority (HIA), which regulates the private health insurance market in Ireland.

Compiled by Kantar Millward Brown, the survey suggests that many people view private health insurance as a necessity and not a luxury, and that having it means always getting a better level of health care.

HIA CEO Laura Brien said: “It is clear that an increasing number of people do not feel health insurance is good value, yet they do want cover and are not willing to lose the peace of mind it offers.” The survey found that 53% of people said they have private health insurance. This is up from 49% in 2019, and from 41% in 2015.

It also found that 63% of consumers viewed public health services in Ireland as inadequate with a severe lack of access and longer waiting lists. The main reason cited by 42% of respondents for no longer having private health insurance is that it’s too expensive and they couldn’t afford the high premium rates.

More women than men cancelled their health policies, according to the survey. The survey also found that 46% of respondents agreed with the statement that health insurance is only for the wealthy, 31% disagreed, while 58% people said having health insurance means you can skip the queues.

Ms Brien said there was a “fear of switching” and people are “inclined only to take action if they see dramatic savings”. The HIA advised that people should review their policy before they renew to make sure they’re getting the most appropriate cover for their needs.

“An informed consumer is empowered to confidently make decisions that are best for themselves,” Ms Brien added. There are several sources of dissatisfaction among consumers towards private health insurance.

This included respondents feeling that the increase in premium cover is not justified by the costs of treatments and services, particularly the lack of outpatient and non-hospital services on a plan. Most respondents were satisfied with the level of customer service they received.

When asked the main reason they had taken out health insurance, 28% said it was due to the lack of access to public services or longer waiting lists; 22% of people cited the cost of medical treatment/accommodation as being very high, while 14% said it was due to the inadequate standard of public services.

Other reasons cited included being offered it with employment (7%), a person getting older (7%), having or planning to have children (5%) or simply just being able to afford it (3%).

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The average price of an insurance policy was €1,778, compared to €2,059 in 2019. By age group, the average policy cost for 18-34-year-olds was €1,295, and €1,543 for 35-54-year-olds. For people over the age of 55, the average policy cost €2,389.

Just under half (48%) believed that increases in premiums are inappropriate and not justified by the cost of treatments and services. A further 19% said they didn’t know if increases were justified.

Respondents were asked if they agreed with the statement that there would be no need for health insurance if Sláintecare is implemented in full. To this, 27% agreed, 24% disagreed, while almost half (48%) neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement.