Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Tá fáilte roimh an painéal go léir. I meet many people who have difficulties with increasing health insurance costs. Some of these questions are as much for the Minister as the witnesses present, but I will pose them anyway. A customer may attend a public hospital and declare that they have private health insurance. Some people are now asking themselves, however, what is the benefit of declaring that. Is there anything to prevent them from saying that they are there as a public patient and, if not, what would the impact be? I am not directing those questions at any one witness but I would like the panel to address them.

The key question is how can we keep young people in the health insurance market at this juncture. They are paying private health insurance, PRSI and a health levy, which is essentially treble taxation. What are the companies' proposals to get around this issue? I would like the VHI and GloHealth to address that matter.