Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On the one hand, the policy is to introduce universal health insurance and to develop an insurance-based health care system. On the other hand, through various Government policies, including those announced yesterday, health insurance is being made less affordable for people. The Government is squeezing more and more people out of private health insurance. Thousands of people are leaving private insurers every week and this measure will simply exacerbate that.

Another example of a lack of coherence in the Department of Health is that, on the one hand, the Department speaks about expanding access to primary care and to GP services - an objective of the programme of Government - while, on the other hand, the Government is reducing the number of medical cards.

See this speech in context