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VHI customer? A small bit of good news for you

Might save you a few bob.

IF YOU’RE AN Airtricity AND a VHI customer, this week is your week indeed.

Yesterday, the above electricity supplier announced a price cut. Now the health insurer says it too will be reducing prices.

VHI will cut the prices of seven of its plans by up to 3%, with effect from 1 March this year.

It also confirmed that there will be no increase on any other plans at this time.

VHI says that the news means that a family of two adults and two children on VHI Healthcare’s One Plan Starter Day to Day plan, who renew in March, can save a further €55 on last year’s price rate. That bumps up to €91 in the case of a family on Family Plan Level 1.

John O’Dwyer, Chief Executive of VHI Healthcare, said they could make the announcement due to “maintaining our focus on savings and efficiencies”.

He said that the business is performing well and over the last two years has delivered solid financial results.

O’Dwyer said that VHI are committed to continuing their “ambitious cost containment programme” to secure savings for customers.

This cost containment programme has focused on a number of key areas such as reduced rates for Consultants and hospitals, increased use of clinical indicators and clinical audit and the continued movement of treatment to the most cost-efficient setting. All of these factors are facilitating today’s price decrease.

Welcomed

The news was welcomed by Health Minister Leo Varadkar, who described it as “a major boost for consumers in an important year for the health insurance market”.

He noted:

“It follows the Private Health Insurance package I announced in November last year, which was designed to address rising premiums and stabilise the private health insurance market in the interest of consumers.”

Varadkar said that a further significant change will come into effect on May 1: the Lifetime Community Rating. This is designed to encourage young people to take out health insurance at an earlier age, and will see loadings applied to people over 35 for the first time.

Read: Laya Healthcare taken over by AIG – but what does it mean for Laya’s members?>

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8 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tom Red
    Favourite Tom Red
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    Jan 27th 2015, 12:07 PM

    It’s about time,

    Very
    High
    Insurance,

    Gave their customers some good news….

    49
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Colin
    Favourite Colin
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    Jan 27th 2015, 12:14 PM

    Mine is up in 3 days. No idea if I should renew.

    30
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute The Guru
    Favourite The Guru
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    Jan 27th 2015, 12:27 PM

    Make sure to let us know what you decide, the suspense is killing me!

    65
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dodzer33
    Favourite Dodzer33
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    Jan 27th 2015, 1:19 PM

    Guru – That was funny

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sheila Larkin
    Favourite Sheila Larkin
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    Jan 27th 2015, 4:20 PM

    Our health insurer was switched in work just this year, VHI to Aviva. I’m just out of hospital today for an op and I was 425 EUR worse off with Aviva in terms of excess I had to pay. I need to tell HR whoever decided to make this switch, was a bad one. All that said, I’m so glad I had health insurance in the first instance. Op went well, yay.

    25
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Colette Kearns
    Favourite Colette Kearns
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    Jan 27th 2015, 2:56 PM

    Last time I was in hospital most people im my ward had been paying for private health insurance, & it was a public ward! Think sometimes your better off not been in a room by yourself as the nurses are so busy you could be easily forgotten!

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Roche
    Favourite Paul Roche
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    Jan 27th 2015, 12:50 PM

    VHI Customer?
    Why?

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
    Favourite Neal Ireland Hello
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    Jan 27th 2015, 3:51 PM

    Because it beats dying. Just about.

    20
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