THE NUMBER of people with private health insurance in Ireland continues to slide, a quarterly survey has revealed.
Figures published yesterday by the Health Insurance Authority, the independent regulator of the private health insurance market in Ireland, show that the number of people covered by private health insurance across the State fell by a further 12,000 to the end of September.
The figures show there were 2,174,000 people insured with inpatient health insurance plans at the end of September 2011. This represents a drop of 53,000 in the first nine months of the year.
The authority’s quarterly report shows that some 14,000 people cancelled their private health insurance in the first three months of 2011 and between April and June this year 29,000 people cancelled their policies.
In addition to those insured with inpatient plans, there were 106,000 insured with products solely providing outpatient benefits or health insurance cash plans.
Using preliminary census results, the authority said the percentage of the population with inpatient health insurance plans stands at 47.5 per cent.
The number of people insured has been in decline since it peaked at almost 2.3 million at the end of 2008.
The figures come even before threats to a hike in health insurance premiums in the aftermath of this week’s budget, which could prompt more people to let their insurance cover lapse. On Monday, the VHI warned premiums could increase by at least 50 per cent if proposals contained in the budget were implemented.
Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin said that legislation would be introduced which would scrap the existing system of designated private/public beds in public hospitals and allow hospitals to increase the charges they impose on all private patients.
