Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has me put on the back foot in that he has accepted the suggestion I put to him recently on the fees for minor injury units and urgent care centres. I welcome that most positive development, which shows the direction we should be taking in terms of accessing healthcare. I was in this House when the whole issue of community rating was crumbling around us and we were obliged to bring forward legislation to protect that principle. I never thought we would be in a situation where community rating would not apply to people from Roscommon, Tipperary, west Cork, Monaghan or Clare because one insurer, Irish Life, has decided it does not want to cover the level 2 hospitals. It is wrong that this is allowed. There is absolutely no justification for it. Now that the Minister has made the decision on the injury units, which I welcome, we are saying that public policy is to encourage people to attend the injury units. However, we also are telling those who have private health insurance with this insurer that we do not want them to go to the urgent care centre. If they go to such centres and the doctors wants to keep them overnight, their policy will not cover that. It is wrong. It is bizarre that an insurer like Irish Life would sell policies to people living in County Roscommon while not covering their own local hospital. I was caught the same as everyone else. A stop needs to be put to this and it must be nipped in the bud straight away. The regulations need to be changed.

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