Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I know there is a good deal of debate and comment around terminology. Universal health care is a group term meaning access to health care on an equal basis, based on need rather than ability to pay. There are many ways of bringing that about. Universal health insurance is one of those. We can have a multi-payer or a single payer system, a social insurance-based system, a tax-based system or an out-of-pocket system. These are all different ways of funding it.

Another element in the programme for Government is the extension of GP care without fees. That is not being done through insurance and it was never envisaged that it would be done through insurance. We spent a considerable period in negotiations with the Irish Medical Organisation on that contract on the basis that it would be based on a tax-funded system. There is a separate part in the programme for Government on that aspect.

Obviously, a considerable amount of work has had to be done in the meantime. The costings indicate that universal health insurance would be very expensive and that the premiums would be very high. Maybe they need to be high, because any universal health care system worth having is one that delivers timely health care. We could have universal health care tomorrow and simply put everyone on a waiting list, but I am unsure whether that would be very attractive.

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