asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he is aware that insured contributors cease insurance at the expiration of 12 months of continuous unemployment; that on re-entry to insurable employment subsequently, they are disqualified for receiving such additional benefits as they were entitled to receive before ceasing insurance; that the additional benefits provided by approved societies heretofore included such excellent and necessary services as dental benefit, hospital benefit and optical benefit; that the loss of these benefits inflicts grave hardship on people who are unemployed for a considerable period, especially as the fund out of which they are provided was created in part by the contributions of the people who, because of unemployment, are precluded from enjoying them and whether it is proposed to amend the law so as to provide that unavoidable unemployment will not deprive insured persons of the benefits provided under the Health Insurance Acts.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Operation of Health Insurance Acts.
Under the provisions of the National Health Insurance Acts an insured person ceases to be insured and his membership of his society terminates at the expiration of 12 months from the end of the last week of employment, but the date of cessation is extended by any period of duly notified incapacity.
If such person resumes employment within 12 months after the date of cessation of membership and rejoins the society within a prescribed time, he is on rejoining in the same position so far as additional benefits in kind, such as dental benefit, hospital benefit and optical benefit, are concerned as if his previous membership had not been terminated. As regards the ordinary cash benefits, sickness, disablement, maternity and marriage, he must requalify after the lapse of the necessary qualifying periods in insurance by payment of the necessary number of contributions. Any additional cash benefits are payable only when he requalifies for ordinary cash benefits.
If he does not resume employment within one year after the termination of his membership his previous right to additional benefits is not taken into account and he must requalify for all benefits. The actuarial basis of the additional benefits scheme does not provide for making additional benefits available for persons who do not resume employment within a period of 12 months from the date on which they ceased membership and rejoin the society within the prescribed time. It is proposed to review the financial structure of the Acts when the result of the next valuation is available, and the matter referred to in the latter part of the question will be kept in mind when doing so.