Almost 38,000 additional people took out a private health insurance policy between April 2020 and March 2021 – an increase of 1.6% when compared with the previous 12 months, figures from the Health Insurance Authority (HIA) have shown.

According to the HIA, 2.3 million people in Ireland now have private health insurance – that is 46% of the entire population.

However, the figures also show that as a result of restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic, the overall number of claims submitted during this period fell by 29% – this included claims for nights spent in hospital and for day-case treatments.

“The impact of the Covid 19 pandemic was clearly visible on the market with a steep reduction in claims. However, we see some elements beginning to return to normal again as the number of day-case treatments has almost rebounded to pre-Covid levels in the first quarter of this year,” explained HIA chief executive, Laura Brien.

Noting the increase in the number of people who have health insurance, she said that demand “remains strong”.

Meanwhile, the HIA also pointed out that the three insurance companies, VHI, Laya and Irish Life Health, paid combined refunds to their customers in 2020 of approximately €415 million, to compensate for the reduction in access to private health facilities. This represented about 15% of premiums paid in 2020.

However, all three insurers have raised their prices in the last few months, leading to an increase in premiums as customers renewed policies at the start of 2021.

The average premium paid per insured person, including children, was 4% higher in the first three months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020.

The HIA continues to encourage customers to shop around for health insurance policies that best meet their needs. The cost of different plans can be compared here.