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

I welcome the fact that the information is being provided but up until now the position was that one was billed and one paid the net sum and the insurance company deducted at source and was reimbursed at a later stage. What is happening now is that there will be an additional cost on the average health insurance policy of any family in the State whereas we were told initially that it would only be the gold plated policies. We are talking about more than 0.5 million policies whose health insurance costs will increase due to the cap on tax relief. The reason this information is being made available is that it will have a financial impact on their premia because there is a cap on it. It is not that the Minister wanted to show in great light openness and transparency, it is because the Minister for Finance decided to put a cap on tax relief which drives a coach and four through the Minister's policy of universal health insurance. We should rename universal health insurance, UHI, as unaffordable health insurance.