A new campaign has been launched to encourage health insurance policy holders to review their existing plan before renewal.
The Health Insurance Authority (HIA) has introduced ‘Review before you renew’ which kicks off today across print, radio, TV and digital.
Some 2,166,000 people were insured with inpatient health insurance plans at the end of September 2017, an increase of 26,000 over the past 12 months. This represents 45.1pc of the population on these plans, based on CSO population estimates.
However, according to HIA research, only 24pc of those insured in Ireland have switched policies or insurance providers.
“Over the next month as people begin to look forward to Christmas, policy renewal notifications will arrive, and with average premiums in 2017 at €1,177 per person, health insurance is a significant annual cost for any individual or family,” CEO, Don Gallagher said.
“We recognise consumers are hesitant to switch…but there are real benefits to reviewing current cover before renewing.”
The HIA is advising consumers that many plans offer similar benefits at a lower premium and that they should check their cover upon renewal and discuss alternatives with their provider.
“If consumers have not reviewed their health insurance over the last number of years, it is possible that they’re currently over- insured and over- paying,” he said.
“There are a large number of products available and, very often, these products provide similar levels of cover at different prices. For anyone looking to make significant savings on their health insurance, we strongly recommend they visit our website to review their current health insurance policy and pick the best value plan suitable for their needs.”
A health insurance comparison tool is available on the HIA website at www.hia.ie or www.healthinsurancecomparison.ie which shows every plan on the market and their prices and benefits.
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