Private health insurance premiums are to rise again on March 1st after the Health Minister announced a hike in stamp duty on "advanced cover" policies.
Minister James Reilly said it was important to protect the policy of community rating - which means that everyone pays the same price for the same product, regardless of age or health status.
The stamp duty for health insurance products providing ‘advanced’ cover will increase from €350 to €399 per adult and from €120 to €135 per child.
That means a family of four with cover for treatment in private hospitals or clinics would see their policy rise by 128 euro.
This latest hike comes on top of changes to tax relief on health insurance in last month's budget.
Charlie Weston is Personal Finance Editor with the Irish Independent;
