The Irish Senior Citizens’ Parliament, the voice of the older person, is very concerned to hear from our members about their worries over insurance.
Our members have reported increases in the cost of insurance as well as being denied cover based on age.
The Irish Senior Citizens’ Parliament contacted a number of insurance providers and asked for their policies in terms of providing insurance to over 65s. Out of the five large providers we contacted only two responded to our request and stated that they had no specific policies:
Aviva Insurance Ireland DAC does not have specific policies in relation to insuring different age cohorts. We treat all customers equally and fairly. The cost of motor, home and other insurance is based on a broad range of factors specific to the customer – Aviva
I wish to confirm that we do not have any specific plans for those in a particular age cohort. All Vhi Healthcare plans are available to all members and to assess the suitability of a plan for an individual member we complete a fact find in order to establish their specific needs, at which point we can then recommend a plan – Vhi
However, our members have been experiencing age relation issues, not just on cost but also on access to coverage. One of our members, Imelda from Kildare, reported that she was informed that the insurer’s underwriter would not permit offering travel insurance to any individual over 65.
In recent surveys with our members on the topics of ageism and the upcoming budget, our members informed us that they were hugely concerned about the increasing rates of insurance premiums and that insurance was an everyday worry for them. The pension has remained at €248 for 3 years making it harder for older people to pay for necessities such as home, motor and health insurance.
Tom from Wexford told us that he is paying over €5000 per year for health insurance for both him and his wife. With no pension increase, he is finding this extremely expensive.
ISCP have been advocating for an increase in the state pension in this year’s budget as well as a Report on the Cost of Ageing.
As the voice of older people, we want to hear directly from you. Please contact Head of Development Elaine Moore (development@seniors.ie) to let us know about your experiences with insurance.