Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 262: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on the introduction of a universal health insurance system; the cost implications to the Exchequer of such a switch; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13031/07]

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 356: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on the introduction of a universal health insurance system; the cost implications of such a switch; her views on whether such a system would improve the standards of healthcare; if not, the reason for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13033/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 262 and 356 together.

It is difficult to comment on and assess the costs of the general merits of universal health insurance system in Ireland. Such a system would move insurance from being voluntary to compulsory. Consideration of the many complex issues inherent in any such proposal would include whether a particular universal health insurance system would be more effective than present arrangements in terms of service delivery and quality and, also, whether it would lead to additional unnecessary costs. On a simplified basis, about 52% of the population pay for health insurance voluntarily at a cost of approximately €1.25 billion. On this basis, the cost of the State providing the same benefits to 48% of the population without private health insurance would be approximately €1.12 billion. However, this does not reflect the total cost of any change to universal coverage as there are many programmes, such as general medical services which will cost about €1.6 billion in 2007, that are not met by insurers.

I may add that the World Health Organisation commented in April 2005 in a paper "Social Health insurance" that "no specific health-financing mechanism is optimal and recommendable in all settings... Little advantage is discernible in one financing system over another in terms of impact on health outcomes, responsiveness to patients or efficiency."

This Government and the previous Government have provided, over the past ten years, unprecedented levels of investment for the health services. Ireland already has universal coverage for hospital services, funded through general taxation.