Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 October 2009
266 Deputy Arthur Morgan asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount that would be saved if all subsidies of private practice in public hospitals was phased out and practitioners charged for the use of public equipment and staff in their private practice. [36880/09]
View answerSince the publication of the White Paper on Private Health Insurance in 1999, Government policy has been to move towards charging the full economic cost of private patient care and to end the subsidisation of private practice in public hospitals, while being sensitive to the need for continuing stability in the private health insurance market. This policy has seen significant increases in private charges in recent years.
A Value for Money and Policy Review of the Economic Cost and Charges Associated with Private and Semi-Private Treatment Services in Public Hospitals is currently being undertaken by my Department. The purpose of the Review is to carry out a detailed analysis of the costs and charges associated with providing private and semi-private services in public hospitals and to examine the fee collection processes used to recoup the cost of these services from private health insurance companies. Appropriate recommendations will be formulated in each of the areas of cost, charge and fee collection when the review is completed. These will be considered when the Review process is completed.
