Laya is the second largest health insurance provider in Ireland. Laya entered the Irish market in 1997 and has recently been acquired by AXA Insurance.

Laya offers health insurance, travel insurance, and life insurance and has close to 700,000 members or 27.6% of the Irish market.

laya

Table of Content

Laya company bio

Laya (then BUPA Ireland) entered the Irish health insurance market in 1997 when EU regulations meant the Irish health insurance market was opened up to health insurers other than VHI, the state health insurer who had been the only provider since the 1950’s.

Legislation in the mid 1990’s required health insurers to apply open enrolment, community rating, and lifetime cover. The Health Insurance Authority (HIA) was also set up to oversee the Irish health insurance market.

In the late 1970’s, only 20 to 30% of the Irish population had health insurance, which was provided by VHI. This began to rise during the 1980’s and 1990’s to 35% of the population in 1987 and is close to 50% today, with three health insurers including Laya providing health insurance.

Laya member benefits

Laya provides Laya Health and Wellbeing Clinics for their members with rapid access to consultant-led care for minor illnesses and injuries. Laya provides from €75 to €375 per clinic visit, depending on the details of your Laya plan. Clinics are in Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Limerick.

Laya also provides out of hours support with a 24/7 GP line, a 24/7 Nurse line, and 24/7 Mental Wellbeing Support Programme.

Laya provides Heartbeat cardiac screening, with members entitled to cardiac screening every 2 years on most plans.

Healthcare Concierge provides health and medical information and can explain medical terms or information about your diagnosis to you.

Laya also provides GP live which offers a video GP consultation to their members on most of their plans.

Laya also offers their First Steps fertility package on certain plans which offers support for fertility treatment on a per year basis rather than per lifetime.

Members benefits

Laya Plans

Laya provides numerous health insurance plans, with varying levels of cover and at various price points. Here are some options to consider, as well as some key features of the plans.

Laya also offers ‘kids go free’ on 6 of its policies where if you pay for a child’s health insurance, any other children in the family are free to add to your family policy.

Assure Protect

€43.59 for a single adult <35, no hospital excess, outpatient excess €150.

Assure Protect also includes:

Outpatient benefits

  • Consultant €40 per visit
  • Hospital Casualty Charge €20
  • Laya Healthcoach 1 plan per 2 years
  • Laya Online GP unlimited consultations
  • Laya Quickcare €100 per visit

Inpatient

  • Radiology €25 consultants’ fees per scan
  • Pathology €25 consultants’ fees per scan
  • Pathology diagnostic test 100% cover
  • Laya Fracture Clinic €40 consultant fees, €50 per Xray.
  • Semi-private care in a public hospital, private care in a public hospital incurs a nightly shortfall.

Psychiatric Cover

  • Dean Clinic/ Lois Bridges outpatient mental health consultation €50 per visit for 12 visits per year

Out-patient Radiology

  • Radiology diagnostic test 100% cover up to €500 per scan

Precision 300 Create

€267.43 for 2 adults and 2 children, €125 day case excess, €300 hospital excess, everyday excess €1.

  • Semi-private care in a public hospital, private care in a public hospital incurs a nightly shortfall.
  • Semi-private care in some private hospitals, private care in some private hospitals incurs a nightly shortfall.
  • Full cover for specialist cardiac procedures carried out in a high-tech hospital.

Precision 300 Create also includes:

Outpatient Benefits

  • GP €30 per visit
  • Physiotherapy €30 per visit for 25 visits per year
  • Speech and Language Therapy €30 per visit
  • Occupational Therapy €30 per visit for 5 visits
  • Dietician €30 per visit for 5 visits per year.
  • Consultant €80 per visit
  • Laya Quickcare consultations and treatment €100 per visit
  • Laya Fracture Clinic €115 per consultation, €75 per Xray.
  • Dental Benefit €150 per year
  • Optical Benefit €150 per year
  • Hearing Benefit €50 per year
  • Various alternative treatments including physical therapy/rehab €30 per visit for 12 visits per year
  • Optical Benefit €150 per year
  • Hearing Benefit €50 per year

Inpatient

  • Hospital Casualty Charge €50 per charge
  • Semi-private care in a public hospital, private care in a public hospital incurs a nightly shortfall.
  • Semi-private care in some private hospitals, private care in some private hospitals incurs a nightly shortfall.
  • Full cover for specialist cardiac procedures carried out in a high-tech hospital.
  • Pathology fees €60, €75 per scan
  • Parent travel and accommodation while child is in hospital €80 per days for 14 days
  • Home nursing for a child following inpatient admission €60 per day for 28 days

Out-patient Radiology

  • Laya Fracture Clinic €115 per consultation, €75 per Xray.
  • Radiology fees €60, €75 per scan

Psychiatric Cover

  • Adult Counselling €30 per visit for 8 visits per year.
  • Dean Clinic/ Lois Bridges outpatient mental health consultation €50 per visit for 12 visits per year.
  • Child counselling €25 per visit for 8 visits

Maternity benefits

  • Maternity benefits including 3 nights in a public maternity hospital or €3,000 homebirth grant, outpatient consultant care €400 per pregnancy.

Health Manager Gold

€816.19 per month for one adult <35, no hospital excess, €1 everyday medical expenses excess.

Health manager Gold also includes:

  • Increased allowance for everyday medical expenses. Where Laya payment exceeds €315 in a year, allowance increases from 50% to 75%.

Out-patient benefits

  • GP 50-75% of costs per visit
  • Consultant fees 50%-75% of costs per visit
  • Hospital casualty charges 50%-75% up to €50 per visit.
  • Physiotherapy 50%-75% of costs per visit for 25 visits per year.
  • Speech and Language therapy 50%-75% of costs with 1 assessment up to €77 and 8 visits at 50%
  • Routine dental 50%-75% per visit up to€20 per year
  • Emergency dental 50%-75% of costs up to €510 per accident
  • Play therapy 75% of costs for 8 visits
  • Home nursing following inpatient treatment 50%-75% of costs up to €1,400 per year
  • Various alternative therapies 50%-75% of costs per visit for 12 visits per year
  • Dietitian 50%-75% of costs per visit for 5 visits per year
  • Occupational therapist 50%-75% of costs per visit for 5 visits and 1 assessment at 75% of cost.
  • Optical 50%-75% of costs up to €20 per year

In-patient

  • Private and semi-private care in a public hospital
  • Private and semi-private care in all private hospitals
  • Private care in high tech hospitals

Out-patient Radiology

  • Radiology fees and diagnostic tests 50%-75% of costs

Female health benefit

  • Menopause support package €300 per year
  • IUS hormonal coil device 75% of costs up to €100, and procedure 75% of costs up to €150
  • Vasectomy 75% of costs up to €150

Psychiatric Benefits

  • Adult counselling 50%-75% of costs up to €40 per visit for 8 visits per year
  • Dean Clinic/ Lois Bridges outpatient mental health consultation 50%-75% of costs for 12 visits per year
  • Child counseling 50%-75% of costs for 8 visits as well as 50%-75% of costs of 1 assessment up to €77

Maternity benefits

  • Maternity benefits including 3 nights private care in a public hospital or home birth grant up to €3,900 towards homebirth costs.
  • Infertility benefits include Laya First Steps infertility Package 75% of costs up to €1,500 per year

Annual average price of health insurance

The HIA estimates that €1470 is the annual average price for health insurance in Ireland and Laya’s Precision 300 Create (priced here for 2 adults and 2 children) is close to this price. This plan offers semi-private or private care in a private hospital, as well as cover for cardiac procedures in a high-tech hospital.

Laya Assure Protect is a more affordable plan with a relatively low outpatient excess. This plan offers some financial protection for outpatient expenses but no cover for GP visits.

Health Manager Gold is a premium plan with a high level of inpatient and outpatient benefits, but its price reflects this.

Laya Money Smart health cash back scheme

Laya offers a health cash back scheme that is an alternative to inpatient health insurance.

There is no inpatient cover on this scheme but there is cash back for up to 40 days for each day if you are in hospital as a day patient or inpatient.

This scheme does not count as health insurance cover for lifetime community rating loadings but does count as continuous cover in terms of health insurance waiting periods.

There are individual schemes and family schemes at three levels each.

Money Smart 20 offers €20 cash back on a range of health expenses, Money Smart offers €30 cash back, and Money Smart €40 offers €40 cash back (all schemes offer €10 back on prescriptions with different limits).

Health insurance cash plan

The following expenses are covered for cash back:

  • GP and A&E visits
  • Routine dental or optical expenses
  • Day to day therapies
  • Scans
  • Consultant fees

There is a maternity or adoption grant of €200 / €300 / €400, depending on your level of cover.

All schemes offer access to a GP line, nurse line, or Physioline.

All schemes offer access to Laya Heartbeat screening once every 2 years for each member older than 12 years.

Talk to us today!

Our advisers are available to talk to you about your health insurance needs.

If you are considering purchasing a health insurance plan, whether you are a first time health insurance purchaser or you are thinking about upgrading or switching your existing health insurance plan, we can discuss your options with you.

We can find you affordable health insurance that suits you and your circumstances.

offering the best advice for you in purchasing insurance

Compare Health Insurance Quotes

Take our 90-second online assessment and get the best health insurance quotes on the market. Our vetted health insurance partners are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and will outline the various options available to you.