Health insurance legislation contains provision for the introduction of a system of lifetime community rating, which will involve allowing health insurers to apply late entry premium loadings to persons who take out insurance cover at or after the age of 35 years. While my Department has obtained the views of the Health Insurance Authority in relation to lifetime community rating, work on preparing regulations to implement such a system must be viewed in the context of wider considerations relating to maintaining the established common good principles of our private health insurance system. These principles relate to community rating, open enrolment and lifetime cover.