Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

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 transfer of payments from younger people to older people.