Insurance costs - Time to be assertive

There is more than enough evidence to show that health costs have gathered an out-of-control momentum.

Indeed, Health Minister James Reilly has said he expected health insurers to be far more assertive in challenging fees set by service providers.

Even in this context today’s story about a woman who spent 90 minutes at a private hospital and was charged €1,175 for using a room on top of other fees seems to break new ground.

It may be that in an earlier time insurance companies, bolstered by the profits provided by a high-flying economy, did not feel the need to be aggressive about the fees they were asked to pay but in today’s world that is no longer appropriate. Insurance companies, and not just health insurers, should be far more active in ensuring that fees represent the best possible value and do not have an untoward impact on what they charge for cover if this unsustainable cycle is to be broken.