New figures from the regulator, the Health Insurance Authority, show that 2.54 million people in Ireland are now covered by health insurance.
This is at a time when the cost of the average adult premium has risen to €1,886 in the three months to September, up €56 since the second quarter.
The cost of cover is up 8pc since the start of the year.
There have been a series of price-hike announcements from VHI HealthCare, Laya Healthcare and Irish Life Health.
Today’s News in 90 – Tuesday, December 2
Irish Life Health is the latest to say it is increasing its premium costs. It said last week premiums will go up in price by an average of 5pc from the start of January.
It has announced three rises this year already.
The Health Insurance Authority (HIA) said the private health insurance market continues to grow even though premiums rates are rising.
The average premium in Q3 was €1,886, up €56 since last quarter from €1,830
As of September, 2.54 million people in Ireland held private health insurance.
This marks an increase of 13,166 people when compared with the three months to June.
There was an increase of 4,130 in the three months to June, which had indicated a slowing growth in the market.
The HIA said the additional 13,000 people who took out health cover in the third quarter meant there was year-on-year growth of 1.2pc.
It said this reflects a gradual growth trend.
It said: “The average premium in Q3 was €1,886, up €56 since last quarter from €1,830, due to the increase in prices from several insurers across many of their plans in October.
“The total increase in the average cost of plans is now 8pc since the beginning of 2025.”
There were 334 in-patient plans on the market. Health insurers introduced 18 new plans and 22 retired so far this year.
VHI Healthcare dominates the market with a share of 48pc. Laya Healthcare has a market share of 28.1pc. Irish Life Health commands 20.4pc of the private health insurance market, with new-entrant Level Health on 0.8pc.
It is important to review your policy
Chief executive of the Health Insurance Authority, Brian Lee said: “The market continues to grow, but rising premiums are a concern for many consumers. We encourage everyone to review their cover and explore options using our free and impartial comparison tool.”
Mr Lee said that even small changes, like switching to a newer plan or adjusting the excess, can lead to meaningful savings.
“It is important to review your policy, and if you need to, shop around to make sure that you have the right cover for your needs,” he said.
This year Irish Life increased the cost of the average plan by 3pc from the start of October, with VHI Health Healthcare also pushing through a similar-sized rise on the same date.
Laya Healthcare announced a 4.5pc rise in the cost of cover.
And before that, Irish Life Health put through a 3.7pc rise in January this year, and a 2pc in April.
Level Health is holding its current rates until February 1.
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