Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Naughten has asked two questions that I was going to ask. Everybody is looking around for a better choice in all areas, and whether it is looking for a television package or an electricity supplier, people are shopping around. People make a choice when they buy private insurance, and they buy it for a number of reasons. Some of them have the money to buy in, but they also want a fast track to getting a procedure done or getting into hospital. The fact that many young people have no jobs and many others have been left suffering huge mortgage stress has led to them reconsidering their priorities. Many of them feel they would rather pay their mortgage than pay for health insurance. I do not have private health insurance and would find it difficult to pay it because I would need to cover five people.

Deputy Naughten already asked the question I was about to ask about the hospital charge and about passing it on. I also have a question with regard to the number of staff employed by health insurance companies and the huge variation in wages between the wages of CEOs and ordinary pen pushers or those manning the phone lines. Recently, I had to go into hospital for a day procedure. However, a person I know who has private health insurance went in for the same procedure and was kept in for four days. This was nothing to do with the person's health not being as good as mine but to do with costs. This is an issue that needs to be addressed.