Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

When the Minister of State is looking into the issues raised by Senators Feeney and Prendergast, perhaps he will also examine another matter I would like to highlight. When some private hospitals do an MRI or CAT scan, the patient in question does not have to do anything other than present his or her VHI card. In other private hospitals, however, patients have to pay in advance of the scan before claiming that money back from the VHI. Indeed, such scans are not covered at all under the VHI in some other private hospitals. VHI customers have a range of options when they are choosing private hospitals. Depending on the hospital, the VHI might pay upfront, pay when an invoice is submitted or not pay at all. I ask the Minister of State to examine why there are such variations between the private hospitals.