Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Sadly that will not solve the problem of the other 200 families about to make the decision tomorrow not to participate. That will allow that fear to be a daily fear - not just the fear of illness, but the fear of being unable to pay if a family member falls ill. It is not good enough for Deputy Buttimer or any other Member to come in here and give us a history lesson as they regularly do. That is fine when we are having general banter and just tossing political jibes across the House. However, tonight is about addressing a crisis in the private health insurance sector. It is not just a crisis in the health insurance sector, it is a crisis among so many families across the State and is being exacerbated every day. It ill behoves any of us to start throwing politics around the House.

We have an opportunity to resolve it. Unless we can come up with a solution that can stop this vicious circle of people being unable to pay, thereby falling out of the system, putting a greater burden on those in the system and increasing the charges for those fortunate enough to be able to scrape together the money to participate. Next month as the charges increase more people will find themselves outside the net and unable to pay. That is an ever-decreasing circle that will lead to a major problem. The problem exists already but the increase in charges will make it worse and we have to tackle it. The Government will need to propose incentives and solutions to help the people who want to pay - and paid when they could - but are no longer in a position to do so.

We know the pressures they are under. I do not propose to engage in the usual commentary about other taxes. I accept that the tax base needs to broaden. Private health insurance, which is a fundamental component of the livelihoods of many people, is being tossed aside. I am disappointed at the approach the Minister is taking given he came to office with so many promises of resolving the perceived inability to control spending in the health area. We heard much about money following the patient. What happened to that proposal? What has happened to the proposed universal health insurance system under which the State would pick up the tab for those who could not afford to pay and those who could pay would pay an affordable rate? It appears to have gone out the window.

Deputy Buttimer stated that the delivery of the entire health system has changed in the past two years and that we now have some of the most advanced technologies and facilities. It is as if all of this mushroomed in the past two years. What Deputy Buttimer and others on the Government side - I do not include the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, who has always been balanced in terms of his commentary - have failed to recognise is that many of these advances were made under former Minister for Health, Mary Harney, whose only fault was the manner in which she communicated them. I believe she would admit that herself.

In my view, the advances in reconfiguration of the delivery of health services has led to a much better service delivery, which Deputy Buttimer and his colleagues refused to accept and worked against on a daily basis. They frightened the people of this country, telling them they would die if the reconfiguration of services went ahead, which was outrageous. Thankfully, Members on this side of the House are not engaging in that type of banter tonight but are instead putting forward solutions that are acceptable, meaningful and have the capacity to assist the Minister in the discharge of his duties.

See this speech in context