Risk equalisation - BUPA gears up for long legal battle

There are currently three companies offering health insurance on the Irish market.

For decades the Voluntary Health Insurance (VHI), a State-owned company, had the market to itself. Then in 1996 BUPA began providing competition, followed by VIVAS in 2004.

When there was no competition, people took out health insurance with the VHI. BUPA and VIVAS can now compete for the business of younger, healthier people entering the health insurance market.