'I was able to save €600 by switching health insurers'

This encourages her to seek out the best value as much as possible.

She managed to save more than €600 by switching her health insurance from VHI to Laya, without losing any benefits.

Ms Molloy, an IT manager who lives in south Dublin, opted for Laya Healthcare's Flex 175 Explore scheme.

The plan gives access to public, private and hi-tech hospitals, including increased orthopaedic cover and day-case cover in the Mater Private and Blackrock Clinic in Dubln.

She had been on VHI's Health Access.

Taking the time to ring all the players in the health insurance market and looking into what is available allowed her to save money by making the switch.

She says she was afraid to leave VHI as she had been with the insurer for 25 years, but was reassured by her sister, who worked in healthcare, that she would not be denied cover if she moved.

Ms Molloy, who is married to Damian O'Reilly, is keen to seek out the best value for other items of expenditure, too.

"When it comes to the likes of car insurance, I always try to get two or more quotes and then go back to my original insurance company and get a bit taken off the premium," she says.