Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. Senator MacSharry has outlined my party's opposition to certain provisions of the Bill.

With no disrespect to the Minister, he could have answered some of the questions. On three occasions I have asked him when will he extend the publicly-funded free GP service but he gave different dates. Last April it was stated that the Bill would include a provision to roll-out the service but that has not happened. There is still no timeframe. I am anxious to learn when it will take place. Originally it was proposed to roll-out the service during the first year.

Medical cards for specific long-term illnesses has been a major plank of the Minister's reform agenda. The provision has gone off the radar. Where is it?

I have private health insurance and I joined GloHealth last year. It is thanks to Senator Crown that I shall now examine its policy document in great detail. Price and long waiting lists are considerations when purchasing health insurance. A tonsillectomy is an easy procedure for adults and children but one must wait over two years for it in the public system. That is why people who can afford to buy private health insurance but most people cannot afford health insurance.

I am concerned about private health insurance and I have raised the matter on a number of occasions. I am not saying that private health insurers are 100% correct but the new measures will increase premia. The Minister has stated that he has independent actuarial evidence that the measures will not, or should not, increase premia. It would be in the best interest of his Department and the Minister to publish the actuarial evidence. I formally ask him to publish the actuarial advice. It will give us something to discuss with the insurers.

Why did the Minister have no direct consultation with the private health insurers? Over 2 million people have private health insurance but the number is decreasing. Why did he refuse to meet the private health insurers in order to negotiate savings? He refused to meet one health insurer. Did he refuse to meet other health insurers? Did he meet the VHI? If so, then he has a serious problem if he did not meet the others. I want him to answer my questions and I shall pursue the matter at Committee Stage.

Some private health insurers can make savings. Bed charges are based on the procedures so there has been a 15% reduction in the costs private insurers are charged by private hospitals. The cost of cataract and angiogram procedures has fallen by 27% but the cost for a private bed is the same regardless of the procedure. We must also examine the astronomical professional fees and consultants' fees.

Senator Gilroy mentioned a specific case. Persumaly fees were charged for an anaesthetist and consultants. Their work is very important work but savings can be made. The Government intends to increase a bed charge fee from €75 to €860. I may have private health insurance but I am also a taxpayer. One must cut one's coat according to one's cloth and I, and other people like me, will have made a financial sacrifice to have private health insurance. I am also a taxpayer and shall be charged more for using the same bed in the same facility. Public private parnerships are used to build schools yet the Government still funds private schools. For the past two years 1,100 people per week have cancelled their private health insurance which will put pressure on the public system. Senator Crown has day-to-day knowledge of the public system. He and others can vouch that it is creaking at the seams.

As Senator Colm Burke acknowledged, every day thousands of people do excellent work in the health service. Will another 60,000 people have left the private health insurance scheme by this time next year? Last year 79,000 people under the age of 40 withdrew from the private insurance scheme. The figures are factual and indisputable.

Last night around 9 p.m. the Minister announced a forum to lower the cost of health insurance. When will it be launched? Has it been planned for a number of months? When will the forum be established? Who is on the panel? He said that the chairperson will be independent. Who shall it be? The market should have been consulted about the forum but it was not. Will the forum act like to cloak and hide the deficiencies of the Bill? There will be substantial increases in private health insurance but the Minister's knee jerk reaction is to establish a committee to "knock heads together." I hope that I am wrong but I am sure that he will set me straight on the matter.