Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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I wish to revisit a number of issues. Total health spend is approximately €19 billion, which puts us close to the top in Europe in that regard. The issue seems not so much to be about how much we spend but how it is spent. It does not necessarily follow that, if we are to have a universal health care system that meets the population's needs, it will entail much additional spending. Does Dr. Burke accept that it is a question of replacing the private health insurance spend and out of pocket spend, given that 77% of funding comes from taxation? It is down to finding mechanisms for replacing these two blocks of spending.