Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

Deputy Murphy should cast her eye to the Gallery where there are young men and women from our schools who will make up the insurance market of the future and who will look to us and to the Government to bring about a reformed health service, including universal health coverage, which will be fair and equitable. This is why the Bill is important. It is important that the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, given primary care tasks, the Minister, Deputy Reilly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, are supported in this regard.

I challenge those opposite to come over and engage meaningfully in the process rather than giving a constant barrage of negativity. Last night, the Minister of State stated that the main object of the Bill is to ensure the burden of the costs of health services are shared by insured persons. Maintaining our health service and delivering vital reform is difficult. It is not easy but the process must be carried out. We must ensure that we maintain a functioning health insurance market which delivers not only for the insurance companies - I do not support them - but for customers, the marketplace and patients. As other speakers have stated, it should be based on the principles of community rating, open enrolment and lifetime cover. These are important elements of the reform.

The Bill provides safeguards and the fundamental principles necessary but we must engage actively with the insurers. If one speaks to the insurers, one hears their speech and tone but we must engage with them to ensure the health providers, insurers and patients are at the forefront of everything we do. More important, we must meet the needs of customers and patients and facilitate the delivery of a quality health service at competitive prices. The continuing price increases we have seen from some insurance companies have forced people to consider their insurance needs, as Deputy Daly suggested. In some cases such people have opted out, in other cases they have changed plans and in other cases again people have stayed where they were.

I am a customer of the VHI and I am probably a patient at this stage as well. We need a competitive marketplace. If we do not have it, the current model will compound the difficulties with providing resources for the public health system. At that stage those opposite would come here with a different tale of woe and give us a different story. Let us have a real debate and reflect on the additional demand on our public hospitals if we did not have private health insurance. The funding of beds in public hospitals plays an important role in the funding of our health system. The Deputies opposite cannot have it both ways or any way they wish. Let us have universal health care and a fair and equitable health system.

The country is similar to an oil tanker in the ocean: one cannot turn it with one tug of the wheel; it takes time. Deputy Wallace is involved in business and he is well aware of the transformation and reform necessary in the country and he is aware that it cannot take place over night. It will take time. Let us have some realisation of the situation from those on the opposite side regarding the issues of the health system. The Minister for Health and the Minister of State in the House are at the forefront of brining about reform. Let us make this happen. I call on those opposite to join us rather than sniping from the far side of the House. They should join us.

See this speech in context