24 DFómh 2012, 15:34
The state of the health insurance sector will be examined by the Committee on Health and Children tomorrow, Thursday 25th October, 2012 when it meets with representatives from the Health Insurance Authority, VHI Healthcare, Aviva Health Insurance, Laya Healthcare and Glo Health.
Among those attending the meeting are:
Sean Egan, Chief Executive, Alison Burns, Interim Managing Director, and John Armstrong, Head of Underwriting, Product and Pricing, at Aviva Health Insurance Ireland Limited
John O'Dwyer, Chief Executive; Dr Bernadette Carr, Medical Director and Declan Moran, Director, Marketing and Business development at VHI
Jim Dowdall, Chief Executive, and Teresa Kelly Oroz – Legal Director at Glo Health
Dónal Clancy, Managing Director of Laya healthcare and David Muiry Head of Global Health Swiss
Liam Sloyan, Chief Executive, Health Insurance Authority.
Committee Chairman Jerry Buttimer TD said: “More than 2 million people in Ireland are covered by some kind of health insurance. However, many people are struggling to keep up payments on their policies and it is estimated that the rising cost of health insurance is forcing thousands of people to abandon their policies and cancel cover each month.
Tomorrow’s meeting affords us the opportunity to examine the current state of the sector in depth with all of the major players. Our meeting will allow us to address the issues of community rating and risk equalisation, a system designed to make sure that neither a person’s age nor health determines the premium they pay, and to consider how this will impact on the sector in terms of competition and profitability.
We will also be interested in getting the views of health insurers on the proposed introduction of universal health insurance and potential influence on the health insurance market.”
The meeting starts at 9.30am on Thursday, 25th October in Committee Room 2, LH 2000.
Committee proceedings can be followed live at: http://bit.ly/24YmPI
For further information please contact:
Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551
ENDS
Committee Membership:
Deputies
Jerry Buttimer, Fine Gael
Catherine Byrne, Fine Gael
Michael Colreavy, Sinn Fein
Ciara Conway, Labour Party
Regina Doherty, Fine Gael
Robert Dowds, Labour Party
Peter Fitzpatrick, Fine Gael
Seamus Healy, Independent
Billy Kelleher, Fine Fail
Eamonn Maloney, Labour Party
Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Fine Gael
Mattie McGrath, Independent
Denis Naughten, Independent
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Sinn Fein
Robert Troy, Fianna Fáil
Senators
Colm Burke, Fine Gael
John Crown, Independent
John Gilroy, Labour Party
Imelda Henry, Fine Gael
Marc Mac Sharry, Fine Fail
Jillian Van Turnhout, Independent