Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I found the Minister's response interesting and I would have been quite comfortable delivering the opening part of it myself. I note there is just an evaluation and I take some encouragement from that because I am very much of the view, as the WHO has confirmed, that there is no evidence of any country in which a competitive insurance system has kept costs under control. While the Government, through the voice of the previous Minister for Health, anticipated that if every citizen was forced to have health insurance, providers would compete against each other, thereby driving down costs, the international evidence does not support that. As the WHO report clearly demonstrates: "The experience of insurer competition in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland suggests that such systems have not been effective in health care cost control." It further states: "It is questionable whether a competitive insurance system will help to improve efficiency and control costs." While the Minister is on hold pending the review, would he like to share any other insight into his current thinking and disposition towards the UHI model?

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