For the first time in more than six years the number of people with private health insurance has fallen marginally, quarterly data from the sector’s watchdog has shown.
The Health Insurance Authority’s (HIA) latest quarterly bulletin said that while there has been a reduction in health insurance membership for the period spanning April to June, trends have historically shown seasonal patterns, with the second quarter typically recording the weakest growth of the year.
Its latest figures pointed to a decrease of 1,663 people insured compared with the previous quarter of January to March. That represented a percentage decline of 0.1 per cent, but the HIA said the market remained robust.
It said that year on year, however, the number of people with private health insurance was up modestly, with an overall increase of 0.8 per cent compared with June 2025.
It said that while there has been a decrease in the last quarter, overall membership remained higher than a year ago.
The HIA said all signs were that the market remained stable, with 2.55 million people holding inpatient health insurance at the end of June this year.
There has been a decrease in the weighted average premium from €1,960 to €1,950. The weighted average premium is what people across the market are generally paying for their policy.
It said it would be monitoring this development closely, particularly as the average cost of policies has increased overall since the start of the year by 2.7 per cent.
Total premiums paid to insurers in the 12 months to June 30th this year reached €4.05 billion, up from €3.73 billion in the previous 12-month period, representing an increase of 8.7 per cent.
“Health insurance continues to be important to almost half of the population,” HIA chief executive Brian Lee said. “While the number of people with health insurance fell slightly during the quarter, it remains higher than a year ago.”
He said the latest figures could indicate that the market was entering a period of slower growth.
“The small decrease in premiums this quarter … could be consumers moving to lower-priced plans. I welcome this development and we would always encourage consumers to look at their plans at renewal – this is the best way of stimulating competition, as overall prices continue to rise,” Lee said.
“Consumers should not assume that renewing with their current plan is their only option. There is a wide range of plans available on the market and significant price differences can exist for similar levels of cover.
“Shopping around and reviewing cover regularly is one of the most effective ways for consumers to ensure they are getting value for money and have the best cover for their needs.”