Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Adams has raised perfectly legitimate questions on health over the years in this Chamber. Many of those questions relate to the inefficiency of a two-tier health system. The Government's view and commitment is to end the two-tier health system, and its commitment is to have a funding model through universal health insurance to pay for that. The Government put forward a particular model of universal health insurance and it commissioned the ESRI to conduct a report on it. That report was prepared and was received by the Government. It sets out the ESRI's analysis of the funding costs and the implications of that for families, insurance and the health system in general. I could argue about elements of transaction, unmet needs or margins in respect of insurance companies, but I confirm that the Government will not proceed with that model of universal health insurance as funding for universal health care.

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