Two health insurance companies, Irish Life Health and Level Health, have announced price increases for customers from April.
Irish Life Health said it will increase its premium prices by an average of 5.9% across its plans from 1 April.
These changes will take effect for customers from the date of their next renewal.
Meanwhile, Level Health said its "advanced" Plans B, C and D will rise by €48 with effect from 3 April.
It also said these changes will take effect for customers from the date of their next renewal.
Irish Life Health said the increases are a "consequence of continuing medical inflation and the Risk Equalisation levy charge announced by the Government".
Its last main increase was in January 2026 and was an average of 5%.
Ann Marie Nestor, Managing Director, Irish Life Health, said that increases in the cost of delivering healthcare continue to be a challenge for health insurers and these rising costs are outpacing general inflation.
"Consequently, the price of medical care, medicines and treatments is increasing at a higher rate than everyday household expenses," she said.
She also said that the nature of customer claims has evolved.
"More customers have access to specialised treatment, using more sophisticated and in many cases, more expensive technology," she added.
She noted that a typical treatment session for many common cancers five years ago might have cost around €3,000, but that same session today can be closer to €9,000 when newer medicines are used.
Commenting on the increases, the Health Insurance Authority said that consumers will receive full details of any plan changes directly from their health insurer in their renewal documents.
HIA's chief executive Brian Lee said the authority recognises that these changes can cause uncertainty for consumers, particularly during a time when households are mindful of rising costs.
"Our role is to make sure consumers have clear, impartial information so they can make confident, informed decisions about their cover. We encourage all policyholders to take a moment at renewal to review their options," he said.
"It is important for consumers to remember that with Lifetime community Rating everyone pays the same premium for the same plan, regardless of age or health status, so many people discover they can secure better value by switching plan or adjusting their level of cover," he added.
