Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support the thrust of Deputy Naughten's amendment. This goes back to my original point. The difficulty I have is that there is there is no incentive for a young person to take out health insurance other than a belief that he or she may get sick. The difficulty we have is that between now and the Holy Grail of the proposed universal health insurance, there is no reward for a person to take out insurance. For the next number of years, regardless of how efficiently universal health insurance is rolled out, there is almost no incentive for a person to get into the private health insurance market. There is no incentive in the Government's policy because people are making an assumption, based on the very difficult financial circumstances in which they find themselves, that there will be universal health insurance down the road. In the meantime, if I decide to take insurance, what loyalty reward will I have over the next few years to when universal health insurance is introduced? That is of major importance to a young person deciding to take out health insurance now rather than waiting a number of years when it is forced on that person.

We have raised the issue in the committee on numerous occasions. Nobody is able to provide an answer other than health insurance providers are putting plans or policies in place that may encourage new business. At the same time, there is nothing that will give a person a reward for taking out private health insurance between now and the introduction of universal health insurance. They do not know what the universal health insurance will be and will get no credit for making a contribution to the provision of health care.