VTens of thousands leave HI after they put up prices

TheInquisitor

I'm afraid i don't have any linky on this as its from a friend working in Aviva ( might be time to buy Aviva shares TBH)

But here is the original Link just to refresh on what happened

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0106/breaking32.html


But yes last Thursday/Friday 12,000 people switched from VHI to Aviva and thats to Aviva alone. At this stage the number of people that have left VHI could be moving towards 100,000.

It looks like the beginning of the end, of the states involvement in the sector and about time too!

whiteonion

Why get private health insurance at all? I never got one and I never had any problems.

Jumpy

whiteonion wrote: »

Why get private health insurance at all? I never got one and I never had any problems.

You only need one to see where its useful.

oppenheimer1

Don't think the VHI didn't expect this. VHI were unhappy at the cherrypicking of patients were the other providers were undertaking so they decided to hike the cost of the plan most older people choose (B Option) in order to get them off books. It looks like this has worked a treat for them.

VHI will be a leaner meaner organisation now and a lot more saleable without all those expensive pensioners.

jimmycrackcorm

whiteonion wrote: »

Why get private health insurance at all? I never got one and I never had any problems.

You obviously don't have any kids either.

Somehow I also think that many of the older generation still haven't moved from VHI. Despite the cost variance there's a reluctance to change from the "devil you know". Mostly due either to a lack of understanding that there is no penalty in moving or in a bizarre empathy that VHI has looked after them well in the past.

I wonder if Marie is still glad she is a VHI member now.

Tea drinker

Isn't there some problem with moving healthcare, you won't get covered for some costs in first year?

omahaid

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Don't think the VHI didn't expect this. VHI were unhappy at the cherrypicking of patients were the other providers were undertaking so they decided to hike the cost of the plan most older people choose (B Option) in order to get them off books. It looks like this has worked a treat for them.

VHI will be a leaner meaner organisation now and a lot more saleable without all those expensive pensioners.

This will only work if it is the expensive pensioners moving. I suspect the problem all along is that it is exactly the expensive pensioners who wont move from VHI (it is an institution, like FF ). If it is just younger members moving to Avivia or Quinn then surely VHI are in an even worse position?

gurramok

I work for a large MNC which employs a few thousand here. At the end of 2010, they moved from VHI before the announcement was made. I wouldn't be surprised if many companies did likewise in order to reduce costs while maintaining a few benefits for their employees.

Sleepy

Ditching unprofitable customers isn't exactly a ground-breaking tactic...