Vol. 453 No. 5
24 Dr. Moffatt asked the Minister for Health if new Departmental regulations will allow insurance firms to cover only 40 days' inpatient treatment in a private psychiatric hospital each year; and his views on whether this would prove detrimental to some patients who require a longer stay in hospital for full therapy and on whether it would drive more patients into the already overcrowded public psychiatric sector. [9449/95]
Limerick East): The draft minimum benefit regulations pursuant to the Health Insurance Act, 1994 require insurers to provide minimum benefit in respect of in-patient psychiatric treatment for a period of 40 days in any one year. This minimum benefit is designed to set a floor level of cover for in-patient psychitric treatment and insurers will be free to offer any higher level of cover they wish. This is the first time that psychiatric cover will be required on a statutory basis in this country and the 40 days proposal will give a guarantee to subscribers that some level of such cover will be available to them.
