Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach's response is incredible. He said that he does "not accept that". What does he not accept? Is he holding to the line that this is only for "gold-plated" insurance policies? That is what the Minister for Finance said on budget day, while not affecting the majority of individuals who avail of more standard levels of medical cover. Even by his own admission and by that of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the Taoiseach's figures say that 50% plus will be affected. Does the Taoiseach accept that the Budget Statement was clearly and deliberately misleading, to give the false impression that only the "gold-plated" insurance policies would be affected? Insurance policies for families can cover up to six children per family. This will impose a real burden on families.

The Government is ripping the community rating system apart. There is no way that this can hold. If over 100,000 young people leave, and if that continues, there is no way that the Government can sustain the older population who have health insurance and who depend on the packages that health insurance brings to them. There will be more price hikes. The decision, for example, to charge the full amount for private patients using public beds, even though the majority are PAYE workers, will add further price hikes in January, on top of the annual insurance company price hikes. It is unaffordable now and it is becoming unaffordable month after month for thousands of families. That is the point. There is an incoherence at the heart of Government health policy. On the one hand, the Government says it wants universal health insurance, while on the other it drives people out of insurance. This budget measure is regressive and is unfair.

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