The number of people covered by private health insurance rose by almost 7,500 in the last quarter of 2014, figures from the Health Insurance Authority (HIA) have shown.

This marked the second quarter in a row when the figures increased. Between July and September 2014, the number of people covered rose by just over 1,000.

According to Health Minister, Leo Varadkar, these increases are ‘small but significant'.

"One of my key priorities for 2015 is making health insurance more affordable so that the number of people covered continues to increase. It is part of the transition to universal coverage," he commented.

The figures show that by the end of last year, 2,025,614 people were privately insured.

Meanwhile, Minister Varadkar reminded consumers that a major change will come into effect from May 1 of this year, with the introduction of Lifetime Community Rating.

The aim of this is to encourage people to take out insurance ‘at a younger age, thereby helping to control premium inflation across the health insurance market'.

Community-rated markets depend on the ongoing entry of younger people, as they tend to claim less on their policies, which keeps premiums down for everybody.

Under this rating system, from May 1 of this year, anyone aged 35 or older who wishes to take out private health insurance for the first time will be charged extra for doing so. From that time, insurers will be allowed to load premiums by 2% per annum from the age of 35,

Anyone aged 35 or older who wishes to take out private health insurance without being loaded against has until May 1 to do so. Existing customers who continue to retain their cover will not be affected by the move.

"We have a highly competitive market for health insurers and I urge customers to shop around for the best price. The HIA website is a good place to start as it offers a clear price comparison," Minister Varadkar added.

The HIA website can be viewed here