Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
2149. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1127 of 31 March 2021, which stated that the HSE paid almost €600,000 to debt collection agencies in 2020 from persons who may have lost jobs and loved ones in the middle of a public health crisis, his views on whether this practice is appropriate in the current health emergency. [28058/21]
View answerPatient charges are a key element of the overall funding envelope of the Irish health system and are taken into account when agreeing the Annual Estimates and the subsequent preparation of the annual National Service Plan.
These charges typically include:
- Out-patient charges;
- Emergency Department charges;
- In-patient charges; and
- Long-term stay charges.
There are cohorts of people who are exempt from these charges, including, but not limited to persons with full eligibility, women receiving services in respect of motherhood, children up to the age of six weeks, children suffering from diseases prescribed under section 52 (2) of the Act, and persons receiving services for the diagnosis or treatment of infectious diseases.
In addition, patients who opt for private in-patient services in public hospitals are liable for a range of private accommodation charges. There are no exemptions from these charges.
Non collection of debts owed directly impacts on the affordability of services provided by the Health Service Executive in any year. It is therefore incumbent on the HSE to take all reasonable steps to pursue amounts owed for services delivered. Debt collection agencies are engaged when normal billing arrangements have been unsuccessful.
The operational detail in relation to how outstanding charges are collected from patients by individual service areas within the HSE is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
