The number of people with private health insurance at the end of last year rose by 3% compared with the previous year.
2.44 million customers had health insurance at the end of December, representing 47.6% of the population.
Total premium income fell slightly over the year to €2.93 billion, as a result of price reductions by two insurers and refunds to customers.
Total claims paid reached €2.5bn, up 16.5% and exceeding pre-pandemic claims paid in 2019 for the first time.
The HIA said demand for healthcare services continued to recover from the pandemic, with outpatient hospital visits outpacing inpatient hospital visits.
VHI continued to hold the largest market share with 48.4%.
Laya Healthcare had a market share of 27% and Irish Life Health 20.5%.
However, according to the Health Insurance Authority’s (HIA) annual report published today, market shares vary significantly depending on the age of the insured.
Vhi Healthcare, for example, insured 54% of people aged 70-79, compared with 72% at the end of 2014.
Most claims were for treatment in private hospitals, with claims for outpatient/general practitioner/other treatment increasing year on year, with a 54% increase since 2019.
Claims for public hospitals have increased slightly since 2021, but are still 11% lower than in 2019.
At the start of January, there were 327 active inpatient plans, with five retiring and 12 new plans introduced during the year.
The HIA also found from consumer surveys last year that many consumers still find it difficult to understand their health insurance plans and compare options, especially with so many plans on the market.
The Authority’s website was used to make 199,000 comparisons of health insurance products.
Meanwhile, more than 3,000 calls were made to its helpline.
