Bermuda residents can expect their health insurance premiums to jump next year after a big increase in claims in 2009.

The bosses of two major health insurance companies, Argus and BF&M, yesterday said the number of referrals to overseas hospitals — particularly for heart disease and cancer — has spiked this year.

Argus chief executive officer Gerald Simons and BF&M CEO John Wight both said premiums would have to rise as a result, but did not specify by how much.

Story in Business, Page 24