DODGING THE OLD-AGE HEALTH FLEECE

Older people are hardest hit by hikes in health insurance and a reluctance to switch plan or provider that could prove very costly.

‘(They) are most fearful of changing either their plan or provider, but they have the greatest need for quality cover as they get older,’ said Dermot Goode of Totalhealthcover.ie

‘Yet if they are open to change and possibly taking on a small excess (per private hospital claim, not per night), then they can save between €500 and €1,250 per adult, depending on the plan held or provider,’ he said.

‘Remember, the older the plan held, the higher the likely savings.’ (See also Q&As)