Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister for Health to the House. This is very progressive legislation, because it brings equity, fairness and certainty to the health insurance market. We do have competition in the health insurance market now, which we did not have some 15 or 20 years ago when one state-owned operation controlled it. Now people can chop and change and benefit from competition. This is something that has to be welcomed. This Bill facilitates people moving and changing plans, looking at better options and increasing their level of cover at more competitive prices and so forth.

The biggest challenge facing us is our ageing population. Thankfully, people are living longer and are healthier. There are various differences procedures and medications and so on that keep people alive and healthy. For those people to have health insurance, the Government had to intervene. Unfortunately, because of the extent of the opposition to community rating and risk equalisation and the lack of co-operation from the health insurance industry, this legislation is only coming now.

Unfortunately, because there was such opposition to community rating and risk equalisation and a lack of co-operation from the health insurance industry, this legislation is only coming before us now. That was regressive, but at least it is happening now and some provisions are being put in place to ensure that people who take out health insurance at a late stage in their lives are not penalised for not taking it out when they were younger.

Lifetime community rating is welcome because it provides a definite and clear incentive to young people to take out health insurance. They will see the financial benefits of doing so. I believe in universal health insurance. Everybody should have access to health insurance and be insured. This is a step in the right direction to create as level a playing field as possible. The specific figures and percentages enshrined here are important because they provide absolute clarity.

I am not an expert on the weightings and so forth in health insurance, but common sense suggests that it has to be made affordable, accessible and available. Those citizens who do not have health insurance and have no interest in having it need to be persuaded of its benefits because it serves a very clear and important purpose. I am glad this Bill is not being opposed in the House. We would all like to see better Bills and more in them, but this is a step in the right direction. I wish the Minister well in bringing this Bill through the House.