Important Updates
Below we’ve summarised some important changes to your benefits that will take effect from 1st January 2026. Please scroll down further for more detailed information and refer to the resources available inside your myChoice account.
As a general rule, when you select your benefits please make sure you are comfortable with the cost before you commit to your choices. Whilst every effort is made each year to negotiate market competitive group rates for all HPE benefit plans on offer, there can be instances in which premiums for some benefits have risen due to inflation and supply chain pressures, as well as post-pandemic utilisation trends in the benefits marketplace.
To access the information from last year, please click here.
Private Medical Insurance - Cover changes:
Irish Life Health cover 4D Health 2, 4D Health 4 and 4D Health 5 have been replaced by the Horizon 2 plan. Find out more on the Health & Wellness, Private Medical Insurance page.
For your convenience we have provided a summary on what the changes are to the HPE Private Medical Insurance Scheme this renewal.
- From 31 December, the company paid standard/core plan is changing from the 4D Health 2 plan to the Horizon 2 plan. All members on all 4D Health plans will be transferred to the Horizon 2 plan including those on a higher level of cover.
- Young adult dependents aged from 18 to 21 inclusive, will no longer need to be in full time education to be covered by the company paid plan.
- Any member paid premiums for upgraded cover or non-company paid member (such as child dependants over 21 years), can be paid for by personal direct debit (member split billing) to Irish Life Health, as these options will no longer be on myChoice, and will not be processed via payroll. Therefore, you must contact Irish Life Health directly if you wish to upgrade your health plan to a different level of cover or to pay for any non-company paid members at renewal.
- You will also need to select your personalised packages (x2) for the Horizon 2 Plan as these will not automatically transfer from last year. If you do not choose your personalised packages for each person with PMI cover, the default Personalised packages of You Extra and Sports Extra will be in place until the next renewal.
NOTE: Changes to your personalised packages can only be made during the Annual Enrolment Window each year, with the exception of maternity extra and fertility extra which can be updated at any point throughout the year. - If you opted out of PMI previously, please note that this selection will not roll over. If you wish your PMI Opt Out to continue, you must select Opt Out during the Annual Enrolment Window each year, otherwise you will be defaulted into the standard PMI cover.
IMPORTANT: Should you choose to change cover for you or your dependants with Irish Life Health, you will be doing so at your own discretion, without any obligations or liability to HPE.
The differences between 4DH2 and Horizon2 are as follow:
| Benefit Type | Horizon Plan | 4HD Plan |
| Orthopaedic co-payment on certain orthopaedic procedures | €2,500 co-payment | €2,000 co-payment |
| Cardiac co-payment on certain cardiac procedures | €1,000 co-payment | Covered |
| Ophthalmic co-payment on certain ophthalmic procedures | €500 co-payment | Covered |
| Gender Affirmation benefit | Covered up to €100,000 per lifetime | Covered up to €10,000 per lifetime |
To avoid co-payment as detailed above, employees can upgrade to a higher plan at point of need. You need to contact the Irish Life Health support team to upgrade at the point of need, prior to any treatment and you pay Irish Life Health the difference in cost of the higher plan and return to your standard plan.
Guide on upgrading at point of need and waiver.
Step 1:
- Upcoming procedure where co-payment applies.
- Contact Irish Life Health to discuss alternative level of cover to reduce / remove co-payment.
Step 2:
- Choose the alternative level of cover in advance of admission to the hospital.
- Additional premium for the upgrade in cover can be made via personal direct debit to Irish Life Health.
Step 3:
- Following hospital admission/procedure contact Irish Life Health to change back to original level of cover.
- Do not forget to downgrade after the treatment.
For more information please read:
- Irish Life Health’s presentation on the changes to the HPE scheme and cover effective 31st December 2025.
Additional updates to cover from the last renewal by Irish Life Health:
| Benefit Name | Last Renewal | New Contribution Description |
| Day to Day excess change for the first day to day claim | €1 | €10 |
| Female Fertility Assessment and Consultation | Not covered | Covered with our preferred provider, once per policy year subject to a €60 co-payment |
| Female Pelvic Health Physiotherapy | Not covered | Covered up to €150 for initial consultation, once per policy year |
| Hospital Care Maternity: Postnatal Doula Support | 2 x 3 hour sessions with postnatal supporter | Up to €100 contribution |
| Acupuncturist; Chiropractor; Massage Therapist; Osteopath; Reflexologist; Reiki practitioner; Chiropodist; Dietician; Nutritionist; Occupational therapist; Orthoptist; Podiatrist; Speech Therapist | 50% x 12 combined visits | 50% up to €35 x 12 combined visits |
| GP Visits | 50% of each visit | 50% up to €40 per visit |
| Consultant fees | 50% of each visit | 50% up to €125 per visit |
Reminder: Health Screenings
HPE Ireland team members enrolled in the HPE Private Medical Insurance scheme with Irish Life Health, can avail of a discounted Executive health screen at Charter Medical with a 29% discount. The health screen can take up to 2 hours and will include a personal review including medical history, lifestyle and nutrition, a physical examination including monitoring blood pressure and BMI, and clinical investigations where required.
The discounted Executive health screen offering is only available to members of the HPE Private Medical Insurance scheme; it does not operate via salary sacrifice and is not available in your myChoice account. Team members will need to book the screen and pay Charter Medical directly.
To learn more about this offering, check the screening locations and book in a screen, please call Irish Life Health or visit the following link: https://www.irishlifehealth.ie/benefits/member-benefits/health-screening. The discount will be applied at the point of sale and members must remember to provide their individual policy number for their HPE Ireland Private Medical Insurance plan (in the format “VIVGXXXXXX”).
In addition to the discount, members of the HPE Private Medical Insurance scheme can also claim a reimbursement on the cost of the Executive health screen via the Irish Life Health claims portal, making sure to submit the receipt within 6 months of when the respective policy year expires (31 Dec).
Update: Dental Insurance
Our Dental provider, DeCare Dental are introducing a New benefit for all members and all plans in 2026: Roll Over Maximum.
This rewards members with lower or no claim year on year.
- Level 1 : If you claim €700 or less in a year, you’ll receive an additional €300 added to your annual maximum for the following year.
- Level 2 : If you claim €750 or less in a year, you’ll receive an additional €350 added to your annual maximum for the following year.
- Level 3+ : If you claim €800 or less in a year, you’ll receive an additional €400 added to your annual maximum for the following year.
New benefits and enhancements coming to the membership plans (Level 3) in 2026;
1. Health-Linked Cleaning Benefits
Additional dental cleanings will be provided for members with specific health conditions:
- Heart disease patient
- Renal disease patients
- Organ transplant patients
- Patients with suppressed immune systems
- Neurodiverse patients
2. Enhanced Fluoride Treatments
Extra fluoride treatments will be covered for:
- Cancer patients
- Renal disease patients
- Organ transplant patients
- Neurodiverse patients
3. Neurodiverse Case Management
- A new, dedicated case management benefit for neurodiverse patients is being introduced, designed to give tailored support and coverage.
4. “Kids Plus” Benefit
- Children aged 0–12 will now receive 100% cover (up from 70%) for both minor and major dental treatments. This means no out-of-pocket costs for eligible treatments for this age group.
For further information see attached DeCare Dental level 1, 2 and 3 plus Plans brochure