Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join Deputy Troy in commending Deputy Kelleher for putting forward this motion tonight.

Health insurance is one of the payments that families have struggled to keep up at all costs as finances have become tighter. Like many Deputies, I have come across many families who have explained to me that their mortgage and health insurance are the two bills they struggle to keep on top of. For many, however, that struggle has become too difficult. Since the Government has come into office, although the trend had already started, many people have stopped their health insurance.

Unfortunately the Minister and the Government have failed miserably so far to grasp this issue and put a halt to the slide in the numbers with health insurance. We now have a Minister who promised that, if elected, he would deliver universal health insurance.

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