€170m potential exposure because of dispute over private health insurance forms

Laya denies the claims and says it has received hundreds, if not thousands, of complaints from its policyholders of being pressured by the hospitals to sign the waiver

HSE chief financial officer Stephen Mulvany gave the estimate as it was claimed Laya Healthcare has wrongfully withheld payment on hospital claims through its use of the waiver form.

The HSE chief financial officer has estimated for the High Court that the potential exposure to loss by public hospitals since the beginning of the use of a disputed waiver form for privately insured patients is in the region of €170m.

Stephen Mulvany gave the estimate in a statement for the court as part of the HSE action against Laya Healthcare in which it is claimed the private insurer has wrongfully withheld payment on hospital claims through its use of the waiver form. The form asks an insured patient to formally waive their automatic right to be treated as a public patient.