Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We are talking about health insurance. The problem is that those paying health insurance are coming to ask me to take them to Northern Ireland for an operation because health insurance is no longer working for them. They are waiting lengthy periods of time, having paid huge money for health insurance every year. They have to pay upfront for operations and while there is partial reimbursement, people who have problems with their knees and hips tell me that private health insurance is no longer working for them. How can that happen? Some people are paying €3,000 or €4,000 yet find themselves in a disastrous situation. I know someone who has private health insurance but he has decided he cannot stand the pain and cannot wait any longer. He was told he will have an operation sometime next year but that is not good enough for someone who is in pain.

Some 47% of people have health insurance and best of luck to them. They are paying big money and deserve to have their health looked after in a much quicker fashion than happens at present. However, we have to think about the people who cannot afford health insurance. Some of them cannot even get a medical card because they are falling between two stools. It is a dire situation. It is our strongly held view that everybody who has cancer in this country should get a medical card but that is not the case. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, argued with me recently that they can, but that is only if they have terminal cancer. Out of respect to anyone who has any cancer ailment, the least they should get is a medical card for the period of time their cancer exists. When they are cured, with the help of God, their medical card could then be given back.

We have spoken already today about healthcare, which is very much at the bottom of the barrel in this State. We seem to have loads of money and it is being thrown everywhere and anywhere, but it is not getting to where it needs to go. If a person has severe pain in a hip, a knee or otherwise and cannot have an operation for three to five years, there is something wrong. If someone is going blind and cannot have cataract surgery for three to five years, there is something wrong with the system. There is no point in the Minister saying anything different. It was the same issue that brought down the last Government and nothing has improved since. People from this country are travelling but the Government cut the reimbursement for the cataract operation, which was shameful. Not alone did the Government let them go blind, but then, when they had an opportunity to get a little reimbursement, what did the Government do? It pulled the plug and cut it down by half to punish them more and make sure they go blind.

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