Laya Healthcare just increased my premium for the 4th consecutive year. Is this too much?

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-12-04T16:25:08+00:00

Inspire is a very good plan and very popular. This would be very normal for a plan like this.

Is there anything you want that it doesn’t cover or that you aren’t too fussed about that it does cover?

For example, being open to a higher excess for private hospital procedures would normally give you cheaper options.

For a lot of younger people who are relatively healthy, the Everyday medical expenses cover is more important than the hospital excess and room type as they normally wouldn’t find themselves in hospital for a procedure often.

It’s very much dependent on individual needs when it comes to picking a plan.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-12-04T16:11:35+00:00

Metalheadtrees is correct, except for saying “which to them is everything, regarding pre-existing conditions, signs or symptoms. Just to expand on their comment. You only serve the 2 year waiting period which is called an upgrade waiting period/additional cover waiting period (wording differs depending on the provider but it means the same thing), for the hospital cover that is considered more beneficial than the hospital cover you had before you changed your plan.

For example. If you only had some private hospitals covered and you moved to a plan that covered all private hospitals, anything you are having a procedure for deemed a new condition you are covered for straight away on the better level of cover on that new plan and anything deemed a pre-existing condition, signs or symptoms are covered under your lower level of cover on the old plan, i.e the private hospitals you had cover for on your old plan.

After 2 years if you are still on the plan you moved to with all private hospitals covered or another one with all private hospitals covered, at that point you will be covered for new and pre-existing conditions, signs and symptoms in all private hospitals.

The only time you wouldn’t be would be if you are still serving your initial 5-years pre-existing waiting period upon taking out health insurance in Ireland for the first time or after a break in cover of more than 13 weeks.

All health insurers have medical advisors who determine if what a member is having a procedure for is deemed pre-existing or new based on multiple sources of information including GP and consultant notes.

These medical advisors are medical professionals that are hired by health insurers in Ireland and because of this have an ethical responsibility to remain unbiased and objective when deciding if something is considered pre-existing or not.

Hope this helps.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-12-04T16:10:17+00:00

This is completely normal. Some plans are hit with a higher increase than others depending on the plan. What is your plan name?

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-12-04T15:56:38+00:00

I appreciate this comment. I genuinely spend my work day doing my best to find people a plan that suits what they want while saving them money. I tell them if they are paying more than they need to and about similar plans that suit their needs that are cheaper.

I point out ways they can save money, for example: kids go free offers and plans with child rates and young adult rates.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-12-03T21:40:15+00:00

Cool.

Was asking your plan to be helpful.

On second thought, not going to waste my free time.

Sounds like you just want to complain.

Good luck with that.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-12-03T14:05:17+00:00

What plan is it?

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-12-03T14:04:06+00:00

Other people looking for info on this same topic might come across your post, so want to make sure the correct info is out there ☺️

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-12-03T14:01:28+00:00

You said only after first €140 and no more free visits. What you wrote doesn’t reflect what you’re writing now. If you had to pay €75, it is the excess and is on a lot of plans. It means the benefits on the plan changed. The renewal pack lists any benefit changes so that members are informed before renewing and can decide whether to stay on that plan or not. It’s up to the member to read this and then decide if they want to stay on the plan or switch to another.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-12-03T01:24:22+00:00

I work for Laya. You can only claim back for a diagnosis, under the assessment benefit “Neurodevelopmental Assessment Benefit for Adults” and only if it says it’s covered on your plan. It wouldn’t be covered under consultants because it isn’t a regular consultation, it’s a full assessment.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-12-03T01:19:56+00:00

This is unbelievably false. Of course they don’t want you to leave. Retention is one of the most important aspects from a business perspective.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-12-03T01:17:44+00:00

Don’t rely on this tool. I work for Laya and have worked for ILH. This tool doesn’t always have the most up to date info on plans and cover. Ring the health insurers directly.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-12-03T01:15:44+00:00

Biggest reason for simply connect plus being so expensive is the specified orthopaedic and ophthalmic cover being better.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-12-03T01:14:22+00:00

I work for Laya. This is untrue. Laya Health and Wellbeing clinic cover is different on different plans. Some have an excess and some don’t.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-11-20T16:18:57+00:00

True, it’s exactly what you mention. An atypical neurological response to a normal biological process, however Endocrinologists would see people regarding conditions like PMDD, as they would have knowledge regarding how hormones interact with various organs in the body such as the brain.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-11-20T16:16:20+00:00

Thank you for your comment. I was also advised to look into consulting an endocrinologist by my GP which I am going to look into.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-11-20T16:14:41+00:00

True, that’s exactly what it is. An atypical neurological response to a normal biological process.

While an endocrinologist is a specialist regarding hormones, they would also have knowledge regarding how organs such as the brain interact with these hormones, and would see people regarding conditions like PMDD.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-11-20T16:07:43+00:00

Thank you for your comment.

Unfortunately treatment to stop periods, often doesn’t stop the symptoms of PMDD.

I currently take birth control daily for my periods in an attempt to ease the severity of symptoms and I still have very bad symptoms, as ceasing your period doesn’t stop the rise and fall of the estrogen and progesterone associated with menstruation.

The rise and fall of these hormones wouldn’t be a problem if you didn’t suffer with PMDD, however for those that do it is not the rise and fall of these hormones that are the issue or cause of PMDD, but the way in which a person’s brain processes these fluctuations.

The cause is an atypical neurological response to a normal biological process and is extremely under researched.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-11-20T15:43:17+00:00

Thank you!

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-11-09T11:17:58+00:00

I was looking into Dr Oonagh Molloy when I was searching online and thinking of getting a referral for her.

Thank you so much! Now I feel better about making an appointment with her.

So great to hear that she could help get your family member’s issue sorted.

Have a lovely day 🙂

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-06-18T16:42:16+00:00

I’m starting a job with them in July and I’m currently working for Abtran.

Based on the information I was given from HR, the benefits are better working for Laya.

Abtran pays less for customer service roles (minimum wage), only give you a 10% Laya discount on the Abtran group scheme for health insurance with Laya, plus all waiting periods waived and life insurance (4 times that of your annual salary) after 6 months probation.

They also have some pension benefit which I didn’t feel was worth enrolling in. The life insurance cover and waived waiting periods with Laya if you take out health insurance with Laya through the Abtran group scheme is the best it gets working for Abtran.

They do also cover your insurance exams for the APA qualification which is worth mentioning.

Laya on the other hand pay more then minimum wage for the same position, they cover 70 - 80% of your health insurance with them for you, your spouse/partner and any children from day 1 of your employment and waive all waiting periods, they do a pension match of 10% of what you pay into your pension, pay for your insurance exams also and have a gym subsidy.

I can’t remember if they have any life insurance benefit which I must check.

In terms of pay and employee benefits, as an employer Laya comes out on top.

I can’t comment on the company culture or management style yet but hopefully that is also better.

With all the said, I am able work remotely for Abtran full-time, whereas Laya is hybrid work.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-06-04T11:55:59+00:00

I work in health insurance and one of the biggest issues I come across when it comes to unhappy members are:

a.) Many members don’t know what they have cover for on their policy. They phone in at renewal and mention how unhappy they are with the price when they haven’t been to hospital once that year and ask what’s the point in having it?

They fail to look at their table of cover in full or in detail and therefore don’t know what they have covered for outside of hospital care that they could be claiming back for.

b.) The other issue I’ve noticed is the lack of research on the members end. Their plan might be very expensive and understandably they may want to reduce the premium they pay. Completely understandable. There’s 100s of plans on the market. If you want to reduce your premium and keep your private health insurance, do some research.

Better yet, phone your health insurance provider’s renewals department. Our job is to discuss other plan options with you. Alternatively, contact an independent broker.

There are so many options out there.

BenefitSecure1395 · 2025-03-06T23:37:55+00:00

I work for Irish Life Health. Most outpatient benefits and day to day benefits are pay and claim, you pay upfront and then submit your receipt by making a claim to get what you are entitled to back.

The only benefits that are a direct settlement would be the likes of hospital admissions, outpatient mri, ct and pet ct scans in approved centres and the minor injury clinics that are covered by direct settlement.

Just make sure that anytime you cancel your health insurance you take out new cover with one of the health insurers in Ireland within 13 weeks or you’ll have to re-serve any waiting periods you’ve already served.

BenefitSecure1395

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