VHI drops popular health insurance plans in 'surprise' move affecting thousands

Thousands of VHI customers will be forced to change their health insurance cover as the company scraps some of its most expensive plans.

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, but they will no longer be available to new members or renewals from May 1st.

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.

VHI is the State’s largest health insurance provider with 1.1 million customers.

Health insurance expert Dermot Goode of totalhealthcover.ie said 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.

He estimates that between 100,000 and 150,000 VHI customers – around one in 10 of all its customers – will be affected by the move.

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

Mr Goode urged those affected not to auto-renew on whatever is offered by VHI, but to take the opportunity to check all options across the market first.

“They may be shocked to find they can source equivalent cover at a lower cost,” he said.