Conor Pope
So, the VHI is predicting that it could lose 60,000 customers this year. And how is it going to respond to the threat of mass defections to its two rivals? It announced this morning that it will increase its prices by an average of 8 per cent. Good thinking fellas, that’ll get people coming back in their thousands.
With the price index having fallen 6% over the last year, isn’t this a 14% hike really?
Comment by cold mikeLet’s not forget that the price increase is in addition to a decrease in the number of GP visits that can be claimed for. It’s down from 25 per year to 7 per person. Marvellous service.
Comment by DeirdreI had already been notified of a 25% increase in my VHI premium from 1st January 2010. I had wondered about the lack of comment if the increase had been across the board. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
Comment by John O'ReillyI would imagine that VHI prices would go down if the full Risk Equalisation was implemented and not the 40% or so coverage which it currently is, either you have full R.E. or else you charge older people more, simply maths to stay in business! Though this country never seems to do simple.
Comment by Gerard KerrYes – they increaced the fee for my plan by 30% in October! This is madness
Comment by nomdeirtimesI cancelled my membership with VHI recently because in 2 years of membership, any claim that I made did not result in any payment with all the excess rules, pre-existing conditions and all the other small print. Along with the price increases their objective is to deny any claim that they possibly can.
Comment by Joe LynchWhen are the others due to annoounce their price rises ?
Comment by PaidiI left VHI 18 months ago as I couldn’t afford the approx EUR150 monthly premium. So now I have no private health insurance and with premiums increasing I’m not inclined to buy. This despite the fact I have a young family.
Comment by SenanRe “mass defections to its two rivals” … this idea of defections is a bit facile, interesting to see what % are just reverting back to reliance on public health structures (for all that it is). Another lever (that will perhaps go unpulled) for the introduction of universal health care (& indirectly in support of a similar approach in pensions provision), regards.
Comment by RisteardOn Dec 31st last at around 3:00pm, I went into the VHI office in Abbey St. I was the only member of the public in the office. I approached the reception desk and the conversation went like this:
Female Receptionist (in irritated voice): Are you here to make a payment or what.
Me: Actually I’d like to see about taking out Health Insurance (thinking as I said it that now she knows I’m a potential Customer she’ll cheer up a little!!)
IR: Take a ticket, sit over there and wait to be called
me: Well, there’s no-one else here, do I really need to take a ticket
IR: Take a ticket, sit over there and wait to be called
I decided to take the ticket. Five minutes later I heard a voice – “Next”
I approached the desk, and explained that as I had been made redundant and my former employer had paid VHI for me up to Dec 31st, I would now like to see about taking VHI myself. After some pushing of buttons, I got this response…”Oh Yes, we were waiting to see what you’d want to do”.
Me: But it’s now Dec 31st – how much longer were you going to wait?
VHI: Until you contacted us.
Now, the moral of this tale is 1) basic manners seem to be missing from the staff in VHI – not one please, thank you or even a friendly face 2) they would obviously have preferred that I did not renew my subscription immediately as then I would have a 13 week waiting period, plus any illness that I had suffered in the last 20 plus years of VHI membership would become a ‘pre-existing condition’. I should say that at the end of the day I did renew with VHI, but only because I was unwilling to switch and have a gap in my coverage. I didn’t stay for the service!.
Comment by johnV.H.I. is just another government rip off.
Comment by Gerry ByrneMy wife works in a private hospital and will now be taking a four percent pay cut as the VHI are dropping the amount that they will pay for services provided which should be good for the VHI bad for us. So not sure why they are hiking prices if they are going to pay less to hospitals.
Comment by alanTo john,
Typical Irish attitude: “they treated me like crap but I still coughed up anyway”. Not much is likely to change if people behave like that. That was the ideal chance to walk away and tell them to stuff it.
I am a BUPA refugee, and I still miss their whole approach. They were streets ahead of anything we have here now. I was moved over to Quinn but was not happy with them at all – I think they are basically a bunch of cowboys. I moved over to Aviva when they had a recruiting campaign and there was no gap in cover at all.
Why is the VHI not looking at staff pay reductions instead of hiking up fees. All other organisations are!
Comment by E FaheyTo John of the VHI customer service story,
your story is v familiar to me. For some reason, customer service in certain institutions in Ireland seems to be almost funny it is so rude. Customer service agents sometimes do look at you as if to say ‘why are you interupting me’. This comes down to bad attitude. However this is allowed happen as employers will still pay the agents wages. For this type of service, any customer service agent is overpaid.
I would like to see Ireland return to it’s appreciative ways, where business appreciate your custom. This will only happen when employers and management link payroll to performance, where employees add value and dead weight is removed.
Rant over, but won’t hold my breath on change.
Comment by DaveIn relation to the customer service experience and the general overall attitude in VHI to costs etc., it all boils down to one simple fact – there is no accountability. Costs go up – VHI raise rates – why do any different, they can’t get fired. Customer service poor – can’t fire staff – why should they put a smile on their face, they have a job for life.
Absolutely no continuous improvement in these companies (I use that term lightly). There is no presure on the management or staff to do their job better and at a lower cost because they have jobs for life and a blank cheque book (raise rates).
Former VHI customer.
Comment by JohnCheck out hia.ie. I’m with VHI because of their Dental Plan and was considering switchng until I checked out hia.ie. Any individual can buy a company plan and their Company Starter Plan is significantly cheaper than the Family Plan Plus plan (+ competitors). Also – their Company Starter Plan prices are not increasing.
Plug: http://www.zignals.com
DJF
Comment by Declan FallonNow the loss of BUPA is coming home to roost. Less serious competition allows the VHI to charge what they like, continue with no acountability where none of their staff can be fired etc. Hence the manners of VHI staff.
In the light of the Government returning to VHI the freedom to rob the insured could some chat show not get Mary Harney and ex CEO BUPA Ireland Martin O’Rourke to have a little debate using the 20/20 vision of hindsight to illuminate us all.
Patrick
Bangkok
Patrick
Bangkok
Comment by Patrick HennessyMinister for Health Mary Harney told us when competition arrived we would get a better and cheaper service.
Competition is here the service we receive is much worse and the cost of VHI has increased year after year with less entitlements.
VHI are wasting our money by not properly monitoring internal costs or the payments they make to hospitals and clinics.
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2:48 pm
Maybe they should have a look at the insane amounts consultants are charging the VHI for their services.
Comment by Jonathan`A relative of mine had a tiny mole removed from her face. She went to a consultant at the Blackrock Clinic for a procedure which took precisely 2 minutes. A couple of weeks later she went to have the stitches removed and the consultant didn’t even bother to turn up so a nurse took them out. Later a statement arrived which said that the consultant had charged them 850 euros for his “services”.