LAYA HEALTHCARE WILL increase its plans by an average of 4.5% from 1 October.

It also plans to retire 10 existing plans, while introducing three new plans.

However, a small number of plans will see price reductions, such as the adult and child rates of the “Signify” plan and the “Core Connect” plan.

The Health Insurance Authority (HIA) today said that consumers will be informed of any changes to their plan, including any price or benefit changes, in their renewal letter.

If you are a Laya customer, these price changes will affect you if you renew your policy on or after 1 October.

If you are mid-contract, the cost of your insurance won’t change on 1 October.

A spokesperson for the HIA said the price increases are “unwelcome, particularly during a time of rising living costs”.

“While insurers are free to set their prices based on commercial factors such as medical inflation and claims costs, affordability must remain a priority,” said the HIA.

It encouraged consumers to shop around and to “think about what benefits are most important to you”.

Retired plans

If you are currently insured under a plan that will be retired, the HIA said you will be automatically moved to an equivalent plan at your renewal date.

Consumers affected by this will be contacted directly and offered alternative plans with similar benefits.

Under legislation, replacement plans must offer the same benefits, with only limited variation permitted.

The HIA said it will review these replacements to ensure compliance and reminded consumers that they are not required to accept the replacement plan and can choose any plan available on the market.

The HIA added that the above information is also of importance to some Irish Life Health customers as it will retire 22 plans from 1 September.

‘Cost going up across the world’

Managing Director of Laya healthcare D.O. O’Connor remarked that a review was “necessary to meet the evolving healthcare needs of its members”.

“The cost of delivering healthcare is going up across the world, and Ireland is no exception,” said O’Connor.

“Demand for health services is at an all-time high, particularly in the private and hi-tech hospital settings where we’re seeing a 14.8% increase in 2025 claim costs when compared to last year.”

O’Connor added that advances in medical technology and new therapies come with a high cost and that the “product review aims to strike a careful balance between delivering fast access to healthcare while safeguarding affordability of cover for our members”.

Meanwhile, the HIA reminded consumers that they can avail of free and independent help, but using its free comparison tool at www.hia.ie or by contacting the HIA by email at info@hia.ie or by phone at (01) 406 0080.