Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The latest price increases by VHI Healthcare have exposed the ailing health of our national care system. VHI premiums will rise by an average of 7% from 1 March. That hike comes on top of two previous increases in March and October of last year. It means people who have private health insurance with VHI will have to front up anywhere from an additional €180 up to nearly €700 for just one year. Families may expect an increase of between €400 up to nearly €600 at a time when so many families are struggling with rising cost of living issues.

In a country with a well-functioning public health system, this might not be such a huge news story because in other countries, it might be a price increase affecting just a small minority of people but in this country, nearly 2.4 million people have health insurance policies. This is nearly half the population. The reality is that many others just cannot afford the cost of private healthcare. Compare our level of additional private health coverage to that of other OECD countries. In Portugal and New Zealand, a third of the population has additional voluntary health insurance while in Spain, that figure is much lower at just 15%. In Great Britain, where we so often hear complaints about a beleaguered NHS, only 22% of adults now have private healthcare of this type.

Access to affordable quality healthcare is not a luxury nor should it be. Decent care is not something that should be the preserve of those with deeper pockets. For far too long, there has been an over-reliance in Ireland on the private market to counter the failures of and fill the gaps in the public system so we see long waits and delays and heroic health workers working and doing their best in overcrowded settings. I raised the latter issue last week.

This affects more than just healthcare for people who are unwell. This week, my colleague Deputy Duncan Smith has been raising concerns about the privatisation of long-term residential care and home care. An ESRI report this month said 15 large private groups now control 38% of the almost 32,000 nursing home beds in the country. That same report says that the Government must better balance the profit incentives of private business with the needs of those receiving care. When will we finally see the Government make that necessary public investment in our healthcare systems? In particular, will the Government put an end to the dangerous recruitment embargo in the HSE? How will it address the projected deficit of 49,000 nurses by 2041, as reported by Sean Murray in today’s Irish Examiner? When will we see an end to the unfair low pay model in the community and voluntary sector, which is causing such problems in the delivery of homecare to those who need it most?

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