Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 July 2012
676 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which private health insurance continues to fund the facilities in both the public and private health sectors on an annual basis in each of the past five years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32364/12]
View answerIreland operates a tax-financed, residency-based health care system where entitlement to health services is primarily based on residency and means. The tax funded universal system covers the whole population guaranteeing health care either totally free of charge or at subsidised rates. In addition, there is a voluntary private health insurance system where individuals pay for the policies offered by private health insurers to cover possible hospitalisation costs in private hospitals or private treatment in public hospitals.
Approximately 80% of health funding in Ireland is provided from public sources through the taxation system. At the end of March 2012, the most recent date for which figures are available, there were 2.139 million people, or 46.6% of the population, covered by private health insurance. Given the significance of private health insurance services, Ireland has always regarded voluntary private health insurance as a partial or complete alternative to the tax funded universal health care system, while providing a useful additional source of funding. When individuals elect to be treated privately, they agree to meet the costs of the consultant's fees, which are a private contractual matter between the consultant and the patient, as well as the hospital's maintenance costs.
It is not the role of the Minister for Health to determine the funding arrangements of facilities operating in the private health sector. I can, however, provide information on the total private health insurance claim amounts paid by the three open membership insurers (supplied by the Health Insurance Authority, a statutory regulator of the private health insurance market in Ireland — although information in respect of 2008 in not available), set out in the following table.
|
Year |
Total Claims Costs |
|
2007 |
€1,154m |
|
2009 |
€1,616m |
|
2010 |
€1,650m |
|
2011 |
€1,704m |
In addition, last year the Health Insurance Authority requested the private health insurers to provide a breakdown of their Returned Benefits for the second half of 2011 into public hospital costs, private hospital costs and consultant costs. The Authority has advised that the data shows that approximately 30% of the claims costs paid in the second half of 2011 relate to public hospitals, 50% relate to private hospitals and 20% relate to consultant costs.
677 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if a White Paper on universal health insurance will be published before the end of 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32404/12]
View answerThe Government is committed to fundamental reform of healthcare in Ireland that will deliver a single tier health system, supported by universal health insurance, where access is based on need, not income. In February, I established an Implementation Group on Universal Health Insurance which will assist in developing detailed implementation plans for universal health insurance and driving implementation of various elements of the health reform programme.
The Group will also assist my Department in preparing a White Paper on Financing Universal Health Insurance. The White Paper will outline the estimated costs and financing mechanisms associated with the introduction of universal health insurance. Preparation of the White Paper is a complex process. It will involve significant financial modelling to support analysis of different design options and to estimate the cost of UHI. Given the complex nature of the issues involved it is not anticipated that a White Paper on Financing UHI will be published before the end of 2012. Nevertheless, the White Paper will be published as early as possible within the Government's term of office.
