Thousands affected by 'surprise' move as VHI scraps popular health insurance plans

Over 100,000 VHI members will be forced to change their health insurance cover with the insurer set to scrap some of its most popular plans in May.

VHI will withdraw its Health Plus Extra plan (€3,400 per adult), Health Plus Access (€2,574 per adult), Health Plus Excess (€2,471 per adult), and Health Access (€2,276 per adult).

The plans are some of the most popular options taken out by consumers, as well as some of the most expensive, but they will no longer be available to new members or renewals from May 1st.

VHI is currently Ireland's largest health insurance provider with 1.1 million customers. The change will impact VHI members who have remained on these plans – formerly known as Plan B, Plan B Options and Plan B Excess – over many years.

Health insurance expert Dermot Goode of totalhealthcover.ie told the Irish Times that the “surprise move” will be of “particular concern” to older members who renewed on these plans to retain full cover for major orthopaedic and ophthalmic procedures.

“They will have no option now but to shop around for alternative cover from their next renewal date,” he said.

Many of those currently on the plans being taken off the market are likely to be signed up through employer group schemes, Mr Goode said. “They also need to review their options as a matter of urgency.

“Whilst these plans offer good cover, some have been on the market for nearly 30 years and are therefore very expensive,” he said. “In the last 12 months alone, customers on these plans have been hit with significant price hikes.”