James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy opposite and I believe all Members will welcome this development. As for universal health insurance, it obviously broadens the market and offers all insurers opportunity within the market. The VHI, being the dominant player, has seen a reduction in its market share down to 57%. Nonetheless, it remains responsible for 80% of the payout and therefore has a huge role with regard to bring down the costs of private health care. I am on record in this House as often talking about the astonishing fact that up to now, there has been no clinical audit, that is, clinicians to challenge the treating clinicians as to why they perform the tests they carry out. There has not been enough robust audit but this has improved hugely and one private hospital was obliged to repay €5 million following some investigations. These audits now are ongoing but there must be examination of the cost base and the benchmarking as to why the amount being paid is paid. As I have mentioned previously, there are procedures that used to take two hours but for which, although they now only take 20 minutes, €800 still is being paid. This is utterly an acceptable to me. I believe one of the leading cost control experts from America will give a talk at the National Convention Centre tomorrow. The VHI, as well as many others, will be there and I look forward with interest to what he might have to say. However, the bottom line in this regard is the customer must be protected and the taxpayer must be protected from what has been a spiralling cost of private health care in which the costs simply have been transferred onto the taxpayers and the customers. This is not good enough.

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