Mr. Jim Dowdall:

Absolutely. We have made that point on numerous occasions. I think there is a disconnect between the understanding of the HIA and the Department of Health with regard to the serious implications for consumers of private health insurance and the affordability crisis that each of the insurers has referred to today. I believe there is a necessity for the analysis to be done as a matter of urgency.

Deputy Kelleher raised another question about incentivising young people to come into the market.

We discussed this at the previous committee meeting. There has been discussion for ten years about lifetime community rating as a trigger to encourage younger people to come into the market. A sub-group of the consultation forum on health insurance will examine this issue. I think there is a necessity to impose a deadline on the Department of Health to complete this study within six months and to devise an implementation plan. This would result in a positive injection into the market. My concern is that this will drag on for another ten years before any progress or momentum is achieved.

When it comes to encouraging young people to come into the market, GloHealth does not charge for children under three years of age. We want to encourage younger families to either remain in the market or enter the market. That group is the critical requirement in order to maintain a community-rated environment.