Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 July 2016
638. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if he evaluated the full extent and costs of a comprehensive health service in the future; his views on the matter with regard to demographics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21358/16]
View answerThe Government has embarked upon a major multi-annual programme of health reform, the aim of which is to deliver universal healthcare, where all people can access the health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective, while ensuring that the use of these services does not expose them to financial hardship.
In April 2014, the White Paper on Universal Health Insurance was published. Following its publication, the Department of Health initiated a major costing project, involving the ESRI, the Health Insurance Authority and others, to examine the cost implications of a change to the particular UHI model proposed in the White Paper.
The reports detailing the estimated cost of this UHI model were published on 18 November 2015. Having considered the findings, it was concluded that the high costs associated with the White Paper model of UHI are not acceptable and that further research and cost modelling in relation to the best means to achieve universal healthcare were needed.
The current programme of work for the ESRI Research Programme focuses on the development of a medium-term projection model for healthcare demand and expenditure, which includes analysis of utilisation and unmet need, with a particular focus on demographic trends. Separately, my Department is part of the SWITCH Research Programme which enables the Department to estimate the impact of changes to health policy on the population. While these various projects each have value in their own right they are also relevant to work on universal health care.
The results of this research will be published by the ESRI in the normal way. The Deputy will also be aware that the Dáil has recently established an Oireachtas Committee to develop cross-party consensus on a single unifying vision for healthcare, which will be considering how our health services can develop in the face of emerging demographic trends.
