VHI & QUINN announce prices increases of 23% and 16% respectively

VHI has announced an average price increase of 23% and QUINN has announced an average price increase of 16% (ranges from 10% to 19%). Both insurers are raising prices from 1st January.

VHI's press release: [broken link removed]

QUINN's press release:

VHI state that they are not passing on the proposed Community Rating levy, whereas QUINN say were it not for the proposed levy, their price increase would only be an average of 8%.

after reading this article


I won't be investing my €108 per month VHI payment (for 2).

"Negotiate" - I don't think consultants and hospitals are like builders, they don't negotiate on price.

So .... is there any solution?

Anybody out there without health insurance?

davidoco said:

I won't be investing my €108 per month VHI payment (for 2).

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I'm in the same boat, and really wondering if I could do without.

I paid an extra €100 at renewal time .... now it's going up again .... makes me wonder if I should really bother.

I hit hospital .... the MRSA will get me anyway. (And I'm not just saying it tongue in cheek ..... I just don't trust their standards)

Brendan Burgess made an argument against health insurance some years ago on this site. Can't find it now.

PaddyBloggit said:

Anybody out there without health insurance?

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I know of a family who doesn't have any. Both parents are doctors, their take is that they'll get seen or sorted when they need to, based on who they know...

rmelly said:

I know of a family who doesn't have any. Both parents are doctors, their take is that they'll get seen or sorted when they need to, based on who they know...

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I think that used to be the case. My own doctor went into hospital via A&E and was left on a trolley for over 2 days before a bed could be found. This hospital was the same hospital that she referred her own patients to for over 20 years and had the humilation of some of her patients seeing her on the trolley - her occupation mattered not.

Similarly, my uncle is a retired consultant and he too was left on a trolley waiting for a bed. Had Plan C with the VHI and never got a private room (public hospital) either so it didn't work for him either. Making a call to a consultant that you know is a different story.

One buys health insurance for piece of mind and hopes that affordabibilty is maintained. I have toyed with switching in recent years and I am going to seriously look into it in the next couple of days.

harvey said:

One buys health insurance for piece of mind and hopes that affordabibilty is maintained.

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One way to achieve this is to reduce your level of cover to just cover for basic hospital and consultant cover without unnecessary add ons irrespective of whether you are with VHI, Hibernian Health or Quinn.

What I can't understand is how they say that the public health system is subsiding the private system and therefore the full economic cost of a bed in a public hospital should be charged.

I would have presumed that as we are all paying our taxes and health contributions that this argument has no validity at all. We end up paying on the double for the 'public health contribution', or am I missing something?

Vhi !

I just read that legislation was changed recently to allow VHI increase their prices when they want to! I didn't realise that they are not regulated by the financial regulator either.Does that mean that they can do what they want? Keep increasing premiums?

Re: Vhi !

jimjim972 said:

I just read that legislation was changed recently to allow VHI increase their prices when they want to! I didn't realise that they are not regulated by the financial regulator either.Does that mean that they can do what they want? Keep increasing premiums?

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They are not presently regulated by the Financial Regulator as an insurer, but I think that's due to change in the next month or so. (Or is that just the solvency requirement?)

That said, they are under the remit of the Financial Services Ombudsman as well as being subject to the various Health Insurance Acts and regulations.

As for being able to keep increasing premiums, at the risk of being glib, yep they can. Same as the other insurers.

PaddyBloggit said:

Anybody out there without health insurance?

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I've no health insurance and don't intend to get any. I've had some serious illnesses over the years and have always received the best of care.

I would never say a bad word about the care I received in either James Hosp' or Tallaght Hosp' despite spending a fair few hours on a trolley with a badly broken leg on one occasion.

I don't believe any of my family (adult siblings & father) have any insurance either.

Ham Slicer said:

I've no health insurance and don't intend to get any. I've had some serious illnesses over the years and have always received the best of care.

I would never say a bad word about the care I received in either James Hosp' or Tallaght Hosp' despite spending a fair few hours on a trolley with a badly broken leg on one occasion.

I don't believe any of my family (adult siblings & father) have any insurance either.

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I totally agree that the level of care you receive once you manage to get admitted is no different whether public or private.

The real problem is that people without insurance are left waiting a long long time on public waiting lists (depending on the nature of the complaint). I know a lady who waited over a year for a hip replacement, and she was in excruciating pain for a lot of that year, if she had gone privately she would have had the operation in a matter of weeks - but she didnt have insurance. This is not an isolated case.

Anyone considering switching to Hibernian health should note that they have just announced a discounted price on most plans incepted on either the 21st or 31st of this month.


www.powerinsurances.ie

truthseeker said:

I totally agree that the level of care you receive once you manage to get admitted is no different whether public or private.

The real problem is that people without insurance are left waiting a long long time on public waiting lists (depending on the nature of the complaint). I know a lady who waited over a year for a hip replacement, and she was in excruciating pain for a lot of that year

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Did she contact the NTPF?

jimjim972 said:

One way to achieve this is to reduce your level of cover to just cover for basic hospital and consultant cover without unnecessary add ons irrespective of whether you are with VHI, Hibernian Health or Quinn.

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I totally agree with this and changed two years ago to the most basic private health package.

Plan B VHI v Hibernian Health Level 2 ?

mugga said:

I'm not switching either as THE other choices are all into insurance in all areas wheras VHI is just into health care and the others will eventually up their prices any way.

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Well I'm on Plan B and the equivalents and comparisons are here:
(although prices are not updated with increases of VHI & Quinn & Hibernian Health's price reduction) I rang VHI to see what they said and of course they tried to tell me that I'd be better with another policy with add ons blah blah. You've had my money for over 30 years of membership with one claim ever where I had to pay an excess of £1. It's nearly €300 cheaper for Hibernian Health than VHI with more cover ! Oh yeah VHI did say that I could switch back to them without penalty if I wasn't happy with Hibernian Health.

....they have just announced a discounted price on most plans incepted on either the 21st or 31st of this month.....
I don't see any reference to this on the Hibernian website - how do you get this discount?