Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

There has been quite a public spat, it would appear, between the Minister's Department and the Department of Health over the possible costs of universal health insurance. There have been suggestions that the Minister's Department believes the proposal could potentially threaten the financial stability of the State. There is talk of vast costs for people who would be brought into what is, essentially, obligatory private health insurance for prescription costs and so on. Figures have been bandied around of €1,000 or more per year for what would be, essentially, extra taxes to fund this proposal. Can the Minister tell us what he knows about the proposals that are being floated and their cost implications? When will the Minister pronounce on whether this scheme is actually a disaster? Some of us, as the Minister is aware, are strongly opposed to this model and believe we should go for a national health service model, not what is essentially mandatory private health insurance.

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