Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators for their contributions on the Bill, which is discussed every year. During the Second Stage debate on Tuesday, I outlined that the objective and basis of Government policy in the area of private health insurance is to ensure that people have access to affordable private health insurance regardless of their age, gender or health status. This means people who are old or sick do not have to pay more than the young and healthy, whereas in other health insurance systems the level of risk that an individual presents directly affects the premium paid.

The purpose of the Bill is to specify the revised credits and corresponding stamp duty levies to apply on health insurance policies from April 2021. Against the background of some uncertainty about the impact of Covid 19 on the health insurance industry, the credit and levy rates for the next year strike a fair balance between the need to support community rating while maintaining sustainability of the market during these unprecedented times. The Bill allows us to maintain our support for the core principle of community rating, which is a long established and well supported Government policy for the health insurance market. I thank Senator Conway for his encouraging remarks on this.

Senators Gavin and Hoey raised the issue of non-EEA students. There were issues and many community rated reasonably priced products are on the market and available for students to purchase. Each of the three open membership insurers have started plans that offer coverage in most public hospitals and they range in price from €490 to €520. Insurers also offer young adult rates on many of their products, which further reduce the premium to the full adult premium for a 26 year old person. For example, a starter policy for a 20 year old is available on the market at €183. It is still a lot of money but I am only too happy for the Senator who raised it to meet the officials to see whether we can iron out these issues. Departmental officials are in ongoing engagement with other officials who have responsibility for visa and educational aspects of this issue, including with their colleagues in the Department of Justice and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The Bill will ensure we can continue to provide the necessary support to ensure the costs of health insurance are shared throughout the insured population. I thank all Senators for their contributions to the debate over recent days and for facilitating the passage of the Bill.