The two main health insurance companies - VHI and Quinn Healthcare - have announced substantial price increases to take effect in January
VHI's prices for health cover are to increase by an average of 23%, while Quinn Healthcare's prices are to rise by an average of 16%.
VHI says that an increase in demand for medical care, an increase in the cost of services within public hospitals as well as an increase in the costs of private hospitals and consultants are the main factors behind the increase.
Meanwhile, Quinn Healthcare says its price hikes are mainly due to the new health insurance levy announced by the Government last week.
The company said that before news of the levy, it had been planning an average price increase of 8% to reflect the increased costs of providing health cover
