Health Insurance Companies Operating in Ireland: Premiums, Coverage & Their
Importance in the Irish Healthcare Environment
Irish health facilities can therefore be grouped together to enable the formation of the two
differentiated healthcare systems; the public and the private system. Universal healthcare is
funded by the taxes, through the Health Service Executive (HSE) and is complimented by private
healthcare which may allow quicker seeing of doctors and some other specialists as well as few
services in some hospitals which are scarce in HSE due to the huge backlog of people in the
waiting list. While Ireland has a well-developed and a comparatively efficient public health care
provision system, most people pay for enhancing the public health care with the help of a health
insurance product that gets one faster to a better-specialist hospital and also caters to the
uncertainty of public health provision in Ireland completely.
This article provides a brief profile of ten leading health insurance firms in Ireland, tariffs and
options available, and the place of private health insurance in Ireland.
1. Vhi Healthcare
Website: www.vhi.ie
Premiums:
For the basic plan and individual, the monthly premium of the insurance stands between €60 and
€120 per month respectively.
Coverage:
All clients of Vhi Healthcare are entitled to hospital treatment, semi-private and private
accommodation, consultations with consultants, surgeries, childbirth, diagnostic tests.
Dental/optical, physiotherapy and /or psychological and other services constitute the other bonus
services offered in the higher packages.
Importance:
Vhi is the biggest health insurer in Ireland and has the reputation to offer policy coverage that
can offer comprehensive insurance that can provide broad protection to a number of services in
the healthcare industry. The company also provides many choices of hospitals and health care
givers such that the policy holders’ get their treatments done early and do not have to wait for the
long queues experienced in the public hospitals.
2. Laya Healthcare
Website: www.layahealthcare.ie
Premiums:
The individual packages cost €50, while the family packages get a price of €120.
Coverage:
Laya is a ery broad in terms of the kinds of inpatient treatments offered, these are public
hospitals, private hospitals and high technology hospitals; Other benefits include maternity
expenses, outpatient costs, cancer treatment and other wellness services such as health screening
and gym classes. Extra service like a dental service or an optical service can also go in as extra
choices.
Importance:
Laya Healthcare is relatively unique for the fact the the schedule you are given is tailored for
how you live and your illnesses. They are concerned with mental health issues as well as,
wellness, the ability to get to the state of art hospital in Ireland that accept private health
insurance soonest possible.
3. Irish Life Health
Website: www.irishlifehealth.ie
Premiums:
Even when you are planning for only personal use, you need to pay as much as € 55 when you
subscribe to a one month plan while for the family plan, you will pay € 110.
Coverage:
Irish Life Health covered benefits are; Inpatient and day care treatment in private and semi-
private hospital 80% of cost incurred in pregnancy Maternity operations Outpatient cancer
treatment Pre authorized treatment by a recognized specialist. They offer specials features that
entitle their clients to dental, optical, physiotherapy and also the alternatives therapy.
Importance:
Irish Life Health is desired to provide customers with preventive solutions in health care; there
are service programs including digital doctor services, health screening services.
4. Hibernian Aviva Health
Website: Website: www.aviva.ie/health-insurance
Premiums:
Ranging from €65 for personal insurance and from €130 for the family’s insurance.
Coverage:
Aviva Health features many health insurance solutions including hospitalization, consultation
with specialists, maternity, and day care. Their plans also have choices for dental, vision, and
mental health care Network.
Importance:
Aviva Health is a prominent insurer in the Irish market with extensive healthcare and extra
features, like the access to digital healthcare services, which is critically important due to high
demand of medical consultations that require shorter waiting time.
5. HSF Health Plan
Website: www.hsf.ie
Premiums:
Ranging from €10 for the individual plans every month thus was considered to be one of the
cheapest services.
Coverage:
HSF provides rebates on everyday health expenses including General Practitioner, dentist,
optician and physiotherapy expenses. Some of them also consider the hospitalization expenses
and the persons’ visits to specialists. But it is evident that it is not a major health insurance plan
but an additional one.
Importance:
HSF Health Plan is famous for offering additional and relatively cheap protection in everyday
healthcare, without gaining full private healthcare insurance.
6. GlowHealth
Website: www.glowhealth.ie
Premiums:
Options begin with €45 per month for personal use.
Coverage:
Glow Health covers general and specialty hospitalization, pregnancy, consultation, surgery,
oncology, and private hospitals. They also available body and mind health promotion program
and reward them according to their healthy lifestyles.
Importance:
Glow Health is flexible and aims at catering for its members through making and adopting health
plans which will work best for each member. Their wellness programs promote goal directed
healthcare and prevention, all of which reduces hospitalization and lengthy treatment processes.
7. Viasure Health
Website: www.viasurehealth.ie
Premiums:
It is ranging from €50 on individuals per month.
Coverage:
The services that Viasure provides include cover for hospitals, consultation fees by specialists,
diagnostic tests and services for outpatients. The extras which they offer them for an additional
cost are dental, physiotherapy and optical, besides mental health support.
Importance:
Through his company Viasure Health, he offers some of the best priced plans which are
favorable for all generations. It is their focus on mental health services and wellness programs
that makes them a great competitor in the Irish health insurance business.
8. GloHealth
Website: www.glohealth.ie
Premiums:
It is started from a class basic offering of €40 per month for a single person and €85 for the
family.
Coverage:
GloHealth offers hospitalization, consultation with specialists, outpatient procedures, and
childbirth. Additional features such as dental, optical and other therapy plan can be offered on
option to the basic plan.
Importance:
Currently, GloHealth majors in the provision of individual policies where clients are free to
select the benefits they feel necessary. They also specialize in maternity and family care hence
making them the preferred company for young families in Ireland.
9. Corn market Group Financial Services
Website: www.cornmarket.ie
Premiums:
It starts from € 55 monthly for individual packages.
Coverage:
Cornmarket insurance services include; health insurance where one can be covered for private
hospitalization, consulting with specialists, maternity and outpatient services. They also cater for
mental health as well as other treatment therapies such as physiotherapy and Chiropractic
services.
Importance:
Cornmarket is a low-cost company mostly aimed on offering extensive cover for public sector
workers’ families, so for clients, who need full medical insurance, this company can be a good
choice.
10. St. Paul’s Garda Medical Aid Society
Website: www.gardamedical.ie
Premiums:
It is beginning at €60 monthly for personal subscription.
Coverage:
St. Paul’s offers a full medical insurance policy for members of Garda Síochána, the police force
in Ireland and their dependents. They comprise of inpatient services, outpatient service, mental
health, and maternal services.
Importance:
As per its name, this insurance company targets only members of Garda forces and their
dependents; this insurance company only has plans, which are exclusively designed to suit the
needs of police officers.
The Importance of Private Health Insurance in Ireland
While Ireland’s public health system, funded by taxation, offers a wide range of services,
including GP visits, hospital care, and specialist treatment, the increasing demand for healthcare
services has led to longer waiting times, especially for non-emergency procedures. Private health
insurance has become essential for those who want quicker access to treatments and the ability to
choose their preferred healthcare provider.
Private health insurance has turned into a necessity to anybody who would prefer to be treated
more quickly and offer an option of selecting their own doctor.
Key Benefits of Private Health Insurance in Ireland:
Shorter Waiting Times:
Private insurance guarantees that people will be channeled to medical treatment, professional
consultation and surgeries that may take months in the public hospital system.
Access to Private Hospitals:
Individuals under the policy can get treatment from private facilities as these places are likely to
be more comfy as well as offering a variety of attention to their patients.
Choice of Healthcare Providers:
Private insurance gives the patients the opportunity to decide which doctor or specialist they
want to use or go to when needing a treatment or procedure.
Maternity and Family Benefits:
Some of the other additional benefits that companies offer in private health insurance plans are;
private accommodation, birth of your choice, the preferred obstetrician or gynecologist and early
postnatal care.
Extras Cover:
They pay for services that the public system doesn’t, these include dental, optical, physiotherapy,
well-being and other extra services.
Mental Health Support:
As the consciousness about mental health is rising in Ireland, the private insurance providers
deliver a faster access to mental health professional and most of the services include the
counseling as well as psychiatrist.
Conclusion
The cross sectional survey conducted in Ireland reveals that private health insurance effectively
complements the government health care services. Many insurance companies including Vhi,
Laya Healthcare, and Irish Life Health among others provide various insurance plans depending
on people’s requirements including quicker appointments with a doctor or specialist, various
checkups, a vast array of health and fitness services, and better mental/ emotional healthcare
among many other services. It details how, depending with your individual needs, budget and
interests, you can get a plan that will meet your health care needs in the complex environment of
healthcare in Ireland.
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