Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is a very serious attack on the affordability of private health insurance. It comes back to this Bill because it must be asked what is happening now. Private health insurance is becoming unaffordable for many in society. I accept that there is an economic backdrop to the number of people falling out of health insurance but the Minister for Health's policy decisions have been responsible for several increases in the cost of health insurance. Then the Minister for Finance wades in behind him and puts a cap on tax relief, which will have a very damaging effect on affordability for ordinary families.

This leads us back to the over 70s. We know that people are very attached to private health insurance and they will make exceptional sacrifices to retain it. They will forgo much of what people consider to be ordinary day-to-day expenditure and many other things to pay for private health insurance. What will happen? The figures are there in black and white although the Minister will dispute them. There is a haemorrhage of young people from the private health insurance market. The Minister announced yesterday an increase in the duty on advanced care insurance plans. All that will do is increase the cost of private health insurance for everyone. Even with the community rating it will increase the cost of private health insurance for the over 70s. We will have a situation whereby people-----

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