Results 9,281-9,300 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney
- Seanad: Health Service Reform: Statements (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: She was so shocked at what was going to happen.
- Seanad: Health Service Reform: Statements (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: It mainly says something about the media because I made a long speech about health. Liam Doran and Gary Courtney spoke also and wonderful things were said.
- Seanad: Health Service Reform: Statements (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: I would have invited Senator Browne if I had known he was interested.
- Seanad: Health Service Reform: Statements (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: He would have been very welcome.
- Seanad: Health Service Reform: Statements (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: We even had the former Taoiseach, Dr. FitzGerald.
- Seanad: Health Service Reform: Statements (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: I did not say abattoirs, I said factories. Abattoirs can be pretty dirty places.
- Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: The Government decided today that emergency legislation should be introduced to amend the Health Insurance Acts. This urgent measure is required to support our system of community rating, which ensures that health insurance is affordable for old and sick people. It closes off any potential abuse of the three year exemption from risk equalisation payments. Deputiesââ
- Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: I beg the Senator's pardon.
- Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: Senators will be familiar with the regulatory framework which underpins the operation of the private health insurance market in Ireland. The key elements of this framework have been supported by successive Governments. These are community rating, open enrolment and minimum benefits. The adoption of this approach to regulating the market has been part of the reason the level of private...
- Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: The current risk equalisation model was introduced by a Fine Gael Minister for Health, Deputy Noonan, in 1996. Until Senator Bradford spoke this evening, I thought Fine Gael supported risk equalisation. Why do we need to have risk equalisation? Community rating means that people pay the same rate for the same products regardless of how sick or old they are. That cannot be done without a...
- Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: VHI has three younger members for every old member. BUPA has 18 young members for every older member. Clearly fair competition cannot take place in that scenario. Why the rush this evening? When the Quinn Group acquired BUPA, it did not acquire BUPA Insurance. It acquired BUPA Ireland, which is a service company servicing the insurance company. Therefore it needed to apply for...
- Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: No. The HIA suggested that the phasing-in period should be changed from three to four years, with payments of 25% in year one, 50% in year two etc.
- Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: I will outline the reason for eliminating the three-year rule. If we allowed companies not to pay any tax for the first three years, clearly they would use various corporate structures to keep changing their status to avoid paying tax. The advice is that for as long as the three-year exemption exists, companies could use what is called in the business the hit and run scenario. They would...
- Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: A monopoly market with a single player does not promote innovation. We want competition, but it must be on the basis of community rating. It must be fair competition.
- Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: When I receive the Barrington group report in March, I will bring proposals to Cabinet in April to address all the issues. It is not fair to suggest we have not addressed the status of the VHI. Recently the Government agreed to commercialise the VHI and put it on the same commercial footing as its competitors, which means it would be required to meet the solvency requirements of its competitors.
- Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: I very much regret that was not done ten years ago.
- Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: I asked my officials to contact the Quinn Group last week when I knew I would be bringing proposals to Cabinet yesterday. I met Mr. Quinn and his chief executive officer on Monday. I welcomed that the group had entered the market. I informed them that we had a loophole that we could not sustain. I was not in a position to tell them or anybody else what we would do. I did meet the Quinn...
- Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (21 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: I hope it will not leave. Nobody more than I wants to see it and others in the market. There will be more entrants into the market because I and the Government are determined to create the conditions to encourage that, on the basis of community rating and fair competition.
- Order of Business (22 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: The Deputy stated that he would only need five minutes.
- Order of Business (22 Feb 2007)
Mary Harney: The Deputy does not want to live without it.