Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak on what is undoubtedly the most reforming health care measure to have been introduced since the foundation of the State. It will have an impact on the lives of every citizen in the State for generations to come. The main purpose of this proposal is to deal with a health system that is not fit for purpose and is incapable of meeting the challenges it will face in the future. Some 41% of people have medical cards at present. A further 45% of people have private health insurance, but this figure is decreasing due to the strains of the economic times we are enduring.

People pay for private health insurance to give themselves access to health services. They want to reduce the amount of time they spend on waiting lists and in queues. Universal health care is fundamentally about equal access for all. One's ability to pay for insurance or services should not determine how long it takes one to receive a colonoscopy, a mammogram or some other service. That has been the case in the past, unfortunately. We have to move away from that situation. The universal health insurance system is going to have work in the context of a reduced health care budget. If we have learned anything from the previous Government's handling of the health service, it should be that money does not solve all our problems. That country threw money at the health service when this country was awash with money, but it did not solve our problems.

The importance of introducing this new structure now is evident when one examines this country's demographics. Older people place the greatest strain on any health system because they need a greater amount of care than younger people. The proportion of the population of Ireland aged 65 and over is 11%, compared to an OECD average of 15%. This should translate into expenditure on health care that is lower than average.

However, Ireland's per capitaspend in 2011, the latest date for which data are available from the OECD, was $3,700, compared with an OECD average of $3,300.

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