Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Every year, legislation is needed to update and revise the scheme which allows our system of sharing of risk across the insured population in Ireland. This year we have had big challenges in this area, with the growing elderly population, with Covid and with long Covid, as it has come to be known, and the risks people may be taking because they are afraid to seek help in hospitals. We must maintain the affordability of health insurance to offer real choice to people.

One issue that has come across my desk is the availability of some services which customers are paying for under their health insurance. There are issues related to Covid, which we know cannot go on forever, but this is certainly something which concerns me. A 78-year-old Carlow lady with poor sight, who requires monthly injections, missed out on her appointment when the HSE took over the private hospitals for a short period earlier this year. She was informed by her health insurer that the private hospital was now public and her procedure would not be covered. She had to pay €1,600 herself in order to save her sight. She had paid health insurance all her life only to be told she had to pay this. This was an old lady who had paid her insurance and had a medical card. I am sure there are more cases like this. If she was not covered by her insurance, and her insurer has told her that where she went to was a public hospital for a few months, why will the medical card not cover her? That lady cannot afford €1,600. She depended on that operation because her eyesight was getting worse and she had to get this injection. This is unacceptable and I am sure there are more cases like this. I want the Minister and the HSE to refund this lady her €1,600. It is unacceptable that a lady who paid her health insurance all her life and had her medical card was not covered. It is very unfair. She was so upset and so were her family.

More and more people have taken out health insurance because, sadly, it offers faster access. However, I have recently been informed of concerns regarding the rising cost. Somewhere in the region of half the population have health insurance in one form or another. During the Covid-19 lockdown, many health insurers refunded their customers, which was welcome, and I believe another refund will be coming shortly. It is very important that we look after people, particularly during Covid.

Equalisation is very important in this country so that older people can access health insurance at the same cost as younger, healthier people. We see in other jurisdictions and other health insurance models that the riskier the health of the customer, the higher the premium paid. It is so important that, in this Bill, we protect that access and protect affordability of health insurance.

For those who have health insurance, the renewal process is very confusing and there is a fear attached that to step down a level or take something off a plan is the same as tempting fate. It is amazing the number of people who will say that. There is a body of work to do to communicate ways to save money on plans and to eliminate aspects of plans which are wholly unnecessary.

It would be helpful if, when shopping around, which I would always encourage, customers could see in a straightforward manner the plans across different providers so they could know exactly what they were getting. That might be something we could examine. I thank the Minister of State.

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