Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House and welcome this legislation. It is legislation that must be introduced annually. The Bill makes proposals for 2016. It is welcome that we have risk equalisation in order that people will not be penalised as they get older.We have a huge and increasingly older population and it is important that they have access to health care and health care insurance which is affordable. Risk equalisation has done this. It is welcome that we have special provisions in respect of younger people who are new to the market and that they are not being penalised at an early stage. The 2% additional cost once a person goes over a certain age is also welcome. The structure in place is a good one and it is the reason there has been an increase of more than 100,000 new people in the private health insurance market. This is a welcome change from the downward trend over the past six to seven years and long may it continue. I thank the Minister for bringing forward the legislation. I do not think there will be any amendments tabled and it should be through the House in a short period of time.