Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 April 2012
231 Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Health the plans, if any, he has put in place to enable the implementation of universal health insurance; the timescale for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20955/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to fundamental reform of the healthcare system with the objective of delivering a single tier health system, supported by universal health insurance, where access is based on need, not income.
I have established an Implementation Group on Universal Health Insurance which will play a key role in supporting the Government to deliver on this commitment. It is tasked with helping to develop detailed implementation plans for universal health insurance and to actively drive implementation of various elements of the health reform programme.
The Group held its first meeting on 1 March 2012 and a second meeting took place on 4 April 2012. A project team comprised of senior Department of Health officials has also been established to support the work of the Implementation Group.
The initial work of the Group will focus on overseeing reform work in relation to the following work streams:
Hospital Financing (e.g. Money-follows-the-patient, Hospital Care Purchase Agency),
Hospital Structures (e.g. Hospital Trusts),
Regulation of the Hospital Sector (e.g. Patient Safety Authority, Licensing),
Health Insurance Market (e.g. Risk Equalisation, Minimum Benefits),
Overarching UHI Design (e.g. UHI legislative framework).
In conjunction with the Implementation Group, the Government has established a Universal Primary Care Project Team to oversee the introduction of universal primary care.
The reform programme is a complex and major undertaking that requires careful sequencing over a number of years. The Implementation Group will continue in existence throughout the health reform process and will oversee different elements of the reforms as they are being put in place. It is also intended that it will consult widely as part of the reform implementation process.
