Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2024 could have several impacts on the ordinary people. It is the ordinary people we must try to protect here. I have to declare I have been in and out of hospital a lot lately, both public and private. I am lucky to have the private. As Deputy Berry says, the inflationary costs and the increases in health insurance are just astronomical. Depending on how the new rules are implemented, people may see changes in their health insurance premiums. If the system becomes more efficient, premiums could stabilise or even decrease. We will wait for that one. If there are implementation issues, however, premiums may increase significantly. That is kind of a belt-and-braces approach here. They cannot lose.

Regarding access to care, the Bill aims to ensure high-cost claims are adequately covered, which could improve access to necessary medical care for those with serious health conditions. If the focus on high-cost claims leads to neglect of other areas, however, some people might find it harder to get coverage for preventive or routine care. I have just come from meeting SIPTU and the Irish cancer nurses. I salute the cancer nurses and the volunteer drivers for the work they do. It is shocking. The Minister is talking about all the figures in recruitment. They tell me there is an alarming lack of people to administer the scans and everything else in Cork University Hospital and all over the country and no people coming in.

With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I will refer to a letter that I received this morning from my dentist. He said I could name him. He is Daniel O'Connell of Tower House, the Quay, Clonmel, an excellent man. He is pleading with me and with the Minister. The Minister has heard 1,000 times that he needs to do something with regard to the subscriptions that dentists get. He is one of the few who are left. For a first visit, he gets €67 under the payment scheme; for the second item of dental repair work, he gets €88; and for the third claim, he gets €109.60. This is not covering his costs.

As we know, the young and old cannot get access to dentists. It is important for old people but it is vital for the young to get those services in the public system and they cannot get that. The Bill refers to access to health services for public patients. GPs had a renewal of their contract some time ago after clamouring for that for years but the dental contract has not been dealt with for decades. Dentists are leaving the profession as fast as they can.

Mr. O'Connell, like myself, is of mature years. He is giving excellent service and is a wonderful, kind gentleman who does not refuse anybody, but he cannot operate. No business can keep going if it cannot cover its costs. I have a copy of an invoice that he received from his suppliers. The costs to him are far more than he is getting from the Government. I am in business and I know that if you have less coming in than your outlay, you are not going to stay in business for long. He is not a greedy businessman. He is a wonderful dentist and his staff and team are excellent, although he recently lost his best receptionist.

I ask the Minister to do something for the dentists in his last weeks in office. This has been brought to his attention by the association numerous times. There is not much cover under VHI or the private schemes so the public scheme needs to be supported.

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