'Too expensive': Lapsed health insurance at highest rate for a decade

Patricia Byron, chairperson of the Health Insurance Authority (HIA), with chief executive Brian Lee, officially launched the new HIA Comparison Tool. HIA research shows 82% of consumers don’t shop around for their health insurance despite rising prices. Picture: Maxwells

One in five people in Ireland without health insurance used to have it but cancelled, with cost cited as the main reason for giving up the cover.

Lapsed cover is at the highest rate in over a decade, a new survey also found.