Letsbuyhealthcare

What Letsbuyhealthcare does

Letsbuyhealthcare is a Dublin-based cooperative operating an online marketplace that enables Irish consumers without private health insurance to search, price-compare, and book treatments with private healthcare providers. The platform is built around three integrated products: a €5 one-off cooperative membership, the Healthcare Coins prepaid voucher system for pre-funding healthcare expenses, and a self-serve booking interface that surfaces all-inclusive prices and wait times across a curated provider network spanning dermatology, ultrasound, audiology, dental, optometry, gastrointestinal testing, and community surgery. Healthcare Coins are also distributed physically through An Post branches nationwide, and the company sells tax-free vouchers to employers under the Irish Small Benefit Exemption scheme as a secondary B2B line.

Revenue is generated through the €5 membership fee, Healthcare Coins sales at face value, transaction processing on member bookings, and employer voucher contracts. The participating provider network includes Affidea, Community Surgery Ireland, Blackberry Hearing, GastroLife, The Ultrasound Suite, Crowleys Opticians, and Fiacla Dental, with Community Surgery Ireland using the platform as its default booking system. Letsbuyhealthcare is structured as the Letsbuyhealthcare Co-Operative Society (formed April 2021 under Chairman Frank Downey), with founder and CEO David Allen (formerly of VHI) and Director and Company Secretary John Looney (formerly VHI Finance Director) leading the operating company Letsbuyhealthcare Limited.

Name

Letsbuyhealthcare

Legal name

Letsbuyhealthcare Limited

Website

https://letsbuyhealthcare.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Letsbuyhealthcare is an Irish online cooperative marketplace that lets self-payers search, compare, and book private healthcare treatments, fund them via Healthcare Coins vouchers, and access employer tax-free benefits under the Small Benefit Exemption.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: One-off €5 membership fee for individuals to join the Letsbuyhealthcare co-operative and access the platform, providers, and Healthcare Coins system.
2. Healthcare Coins Sales: Sale of Healthcare Coins - prepaid vouchers that members purchase to fund private healthcare treatments. Coins are sold at face value and used to pay for treatments on the platform.
3. Provider Transaction Processing: Platform facilitates booking transactions between members and healthcare providers, processing payments through the Healthcare Coins system or direct pay options.
4. Employer Vouchers: Sale of healthcare vouchers to employers under the Small Benefit Exemption scheme, allowing tax-free employee benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Letsbuyhealthcare operates an online booking marketplace that enables self-payers in Ireland to search for private medical treatments, compare provider prices and wait times, and book appointments directly. The platform also offers Healthcare Coins, a prepaid voucher system for funding private healthcare costs, and a €5 one-off co-operative membership. The company aggregates a network of accredited private healthcare providers across dermatology, ultrasound, community surgery, eye care, audiology, gastrointestinal, and dental services.

Product overview

Letsbuyhealthcare is a collective, community, co-operative healthcare platform operating as a 'one stop shop' for people without private health insurance who want to self-fund private healthcare. The platform consists of three core offerings: a Co-operative Membership (€5 one-off joining fee), the Healthcare Coins digital voucher system for pre-funding healthcare costs, and an online Private Healthcare Booking Platform enabling search, comparison, and booking of treatments. The platform aggregates a growing network of accredited private healthcare providers across multiple service categories including dermatology, ultrasound/imaging, minor/community surgery, eye care, audiology, gastrointestinal testing, and dental services. The platform also offers employer healthcare vouchers under the Small Benefit Exemption.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Healthcare Coins: A prepaid voucher system allowing members to fund their private healthcare treatments through the platform

Products and services

• Letsbuyhealthcare Co-operative Membership One-off €5 membership providing individuals and families access to the Letsbuyhealthcare platform, participating provider network, and Healthcare Coins system without annual premiums, age restrictions, or pre-existing medical condition exclusions.
• Healthcare Coins Prepaid digital voucher system that allows members to purchase healthcare credits in advance at discounted rates and use them exclusively to pay for private medical treatments booked through the platform.
• Private Healthcare Booking Platform Online marketplace portal that allows members to search for specific treatments, compare providers by cost and wait times, and book appointments with private healthcare providers across Ireland 24/7.
• Employer Healthcare Vouchers

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of people on public surgical waiting lists are waiting for day-case treatments that may be affordable to many

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and strategic.

• AffideacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffidea joined as a participating provider offering ExpressCare services for minor injuries and illness, staffed with A+E trained doctors and nurses, combined with full-range modern cutting edge diagnostic technology. They are a leading healthcare provider in Ireland.
• Community Surgery Ireland (CSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSI provides a network of GPs undertaking community-based surgical procedures. They set the Letsbuyhealthcare website as their default booking platform. Directors include Dr David Buckley (Tralee), Dr Justin Kwong (Kilkenny), and Dr Niall Maguire (Navan).
• Primary Care Surgical Association (PCSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCSA is a network of GPs with special interest in community-based surgery. Letsbuyhealthcare and PCSA agreed to collaborate to highlight availability of community surgical services. PCSA publishes patient information booklets and posters.
• Blackberry HearingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlackberry Hearing joined as an approved provider covering audiology services including hearing aids and Microscution Wax Removal through a network of audiologists.
• GastroLifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGastroLife provides access to their network of gastrointestinal testing clinics, offering testing services for symptoms such as diarrhoea, bloating, constipation, nausea, vomiting, and stomach issues. An accredited award-winning company.
• The Ultrasound SuitecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ultrasound Suite provides maternity ultrasound services and general medical ultrasound supported by consultant radiologists. Locations in Dublin (Grafton Street), Bray, and Gorey Wexford.
• Crowleys OpticiansminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrowleys Opticians offers ophthalmologists and quality eye services including specialist eye testing, myopia management for children, dry eye clinics, and workplace eye testing.
• Fiacla DentalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiacla Dental was the first dentist to join Letsbuyhealthcare as a participating healthcare provider.
• An PostcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHealthcare Coins are now available to members at Post Offices Nationwide, expanding the distribution channels for purchasing coins beyond the digital platform.
• Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateway NetworkstrategicTechnology or IntegrationEnterprise Ireland Technology Gateway Network supports Letsbuyhealthcare with research-led innovation to help the company innovate and scale. This partnership provides access to technology expertise and innovation resources.
• Gewardz HealthstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerGewardz Health and Letsbuyhealthcare have joined forces to bridge the gap for individuals and families navigating healthcare without private health insurance or medical cards. Partnership announced approximately 1 month ago.
• Dublin ChamberminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDublin Chamber membership provides business networking and credibility for Letsbuyhealthcare within the Dublin business community.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Docplanner: Global healthcare booking marketplace operating in 13+ countries, enabling patients to find and book appointments with healthcare providers. Comparable marketplace and provider-network business model to LBH.
• Doctolib: Europe's largest healthcare booking and teleconsultation platform operating across France, Germany, Italy and beyond. Comparable marketplace model for booking healthcare appointments online, though at much larger scale and with insured-patient focus.
• Practo: India-headquartered healthcare platform combining provider search, online booking and digital health records. Comparable as a multi-specialty online healthcare marketplace with provider listings and booking functionality.

Emerging players

• Webdoctor.ie: Irish online doctor and telehealth service offering video consultations and prescriptions. Overlaps with LBH's Irish self-payer target market and focus on insurance-free access to healthcare, though delivery is virtual rather than in-person booking.
• HealthHero: European digital health company combining telehealth, remote monitoring and corporate wellness across multiple European markets. Comparable as an emerging player pursuing cross-border European healthcare access, though with virtual-first delivery rather than LBH's in-person marketplace focus.

Others

• Laya Healthcare: One of Ireland's three main private health insurers offering health insurance and ancillary healthcare services. Adjacent competitor that could expand into self-pay booking given its established member base and provider network.
• Vhi Healthcare: Ireland's largest private health insurer and former employer of LBH's CEO and Director. Adjacent competitor in the Irish private healthcare space with established provider relationships and the capital to launch self-pay booking products.
• Irish Life Health: Irish private health insurer providing individual and corporate health plans. Adjacent market participant with provider networks and corporate benefits channels overlapping LBH's employer voucher positioning.

Direct peers

• Zocdoc: US-based healthcare booking marketplace that lets patients search providers, compare availability, and book appointments online — directly comparable to Letsbuyhealthcare's core marketplace functionality, though focused on insured and self-pay US patients.
• Sesame: US direct-to-consumer healthcare marketplace offering transparent cash-pay pricing for in-person and virtual care without requiring insurance — closely comparable to LBH's self-payer focus and price-transparency value proposition.

Market position

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Letsbuyhealth
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6x5zkkFd3_TH5NR-kjhvjA/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/letsbuyhealthcareie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/letsbuyhealthcare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Letsbuyhealthcare