The company says one in three customers claimed on their health insurance last year with an average payout of 1,539. That's over twice the cost of its flagship Plan B, which now costs 612.60 per adult per year.

Not surprisingly, the older you are, the more likely you are to have a claim. And the size of claims also increases with age.

The pattern of claims is also changing. Five years ago, heart disease topped the list of ailments. But it has been overtaken by cancer which is increasingly treatable with a new generation of costly drugs.

Younger people might be tempted to do without health insurance on the basis that they are unlikely to need it, but VHI has published case studies that might make them think again. They include the case of a 34-yearold who needed 53,000 worth of medical treatment after suffering a burst appendix and a 31-year-old who ran up 47,000 in medical bills after contracting septicaemia while abroad.

Pensions Board targets revellers

FULL marks to the Pensions Board, which has undertaken the unenviable task of encouraging concertgoers at this weekend's Electric Picnic event in Co Laois to start thinking about planning for retirement.

It is even footing the bill for Tramore man Dave White to attend the concert in style after he won the Pensions Action Week competition in a radio phone-in. Nice prize, although it is unclear if Dave has given any thought to his own retirement.

"While pensions may not seem the coolest of topics for young people, they make sense from a tax and personal finance point of view and, no matter what age you are, everybody would like to think that they will have a comfortable retirement in later life, " says Mary Hutch, head of information and training at the Pensions Board. "By starting a pension early in life, you take away some of the financial pressures which may face you later."

Sound advice, but revellers are likely to be a lot more interested in the music. And whatever else goes on down there. Ahem.

Surprises in poll of first-time buyers EBS

HAS come up with the predictable statistic that 76% of first-time buyers believe the property boom has at least another five years to run. It makes you wonder about the other 24%: if they believe prices have peaked, why didn't they wait?

Another surprise is that only 38% of property newbies found it difficult to raise the deposit. With the average starter home costing 272,073 and lenders traditionally requiring 8% up front, you might have assumed a deposit of almost 22,000 would cause big problems for almost everyone.

The obvious conclusions are that parents are digging even deeper to give their children a start on the property ladder, or that the banks are handing out 100% mortgages in greater numbers than previously believed. Then of course they might have found a friend in their local credit union.

Interest rates are the other big bogey for first-time buyers, according to the EBS survey. Some 87% are worried about more hikes while 40% are tightening the purse strings in the expectation of higher mortgage repayments.

Parents fret over education costs

MORE than a decade after college fees were scrapped, 78% of parents still worry about the cost of educating their children to third level.

According to research by Irish Life, child benefit payments have become the cornerstone of many education funds with more than half of parents saving some or all of the monthly payment for their children's future. Child benefit increased to 150 a month for the first two children from April, with subsequent children entitled to a higher payment of 185 a month.

"The key to funding thirdl-evel education is to plan as early as possible by saving while the child is young, " says Roisin Walsh, savings product manager at Irish Life. "While most parents don't have to meet the cost of school or college fees, there are still significant costs such as accommodation, food and books, as well as hidden costs such as registration and exam fees.

Early planning will help to ease the burden of third-level costs and may help to ensure that a child does not have to engage in part-time work to meet the costs of their education."