merrion street

I welcome the decision of Irish Life, owned by Great West Lifeco of Canada, to purchase Aviva Health Insurance. It is another positive endorsement of the Irish economy and of the health insurance market in Ireland by a large international company. It follows the purchase last year of Laya Healthcare by AIG.

A strong competitive health insurance sector provides the public with choice and affordable policy options and these investments follow on the policy changes introduced last year, for Lifetime Community Rating and Young Adult discounts, which saw an additional 100,000 take out health insurance in 2015.