CANCER treatment accounted for almost one-sixth of the €900 million paid out by the VHI in health insurance claims last year to more than 500,000 members of its flagship schemes.

This is more than double the amount of money being paid out on behalf of cancer patients five years ago.

Yesterday the country’s largest health insurer released a detailed breakdown of its annual figures before a 12.5% hike in the price of its standard products takes effect at midnight tonight.

Its figures show that the average bill per claimant came to €1,539, with the majority arising from private hospital care.

Cancer treatment accounted for 16% of the hospital and consultants’ bills it accepted.

Altogether, it covered €139m in cancer care and it is only the second time that this area of treatment has led to more claims than heart disease, which has traditionally been the biggest drain on its reserves.

The VHI highlighted this as a significant trend in an Irish context and said it reflected the high costs of drugs prescribed for cancer patients and the introduction of more elaborate and expensive procedures.

A VHI spokeswoman said the figure did not necessarily mean the number of people diagnosed with cancer was rising at the same rate.

Dr Bernadette Carr, Medical Director at VHI Healthcare, said the increases in some areas were borne out in an 18% hike in the cost of claims in its 12-month cycle up to the end of February.

She said: “As a nation we are living longer and therefore require more healthcare. There are operations, treatments and technologies available today that were not available 10 years ago.

“The average claim amount of €1,539 clearly demonstrates the value of private health insurance, not only for serious conditions such as cancer and heart disease but also for more routine, commonplace procedures such as wisdom teeth extraction and mole removal.”

The VHI paid out €28m for drugs prescribed for cancer care last year and separately covered the cost of €1,800 emergency operations for breast cancer.

Spokesperson for the Irish Cancer Society Jane Curtin said the VHI figures hammered home the importance of a proper cancer strategy in a country that has witnessed 22,000 new cases this year alone.

She said: “The trends we are seeing in figures like the VHI’s are no surprise to us because there is now a massive incidence of cancer in Ireland.

“You are also have more cancer picked up and the higher costs involved in better treatment and drugs that are available.”

Source: Irish Examiner