Rising treatment costs drive fresh wave of health insurance price hikes

Irish Life Health has announced its fourth price increase this year, averaging 3% across plans from October. The move follows Laya’s 4.5% hike last week, adding up to €700 to the annual cost of a family plan. For Irish Life customers, the rise equates to almost €200 for typical family cover.

With Irish Life now insuring half a million customers, these consecutive hikes highlight mounting pressure from escalating treatment costs, new care technologies, and broader inflation across the private health sector. The competitive dynamic between Ireland’s largest insurers is intensifying, with affordability challenges looming large for both households and corporate schemes.

Read the full article to explore the implications of rising costs on Ireland’s private health market.