Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 143: To ask the Minister for Health the amount of moneys outstanding to the Health Service Executive from private insurance companies; if he will list same on a region by region basis; if he will provide information on the age of this debt region by region; if he will provide information on the provision for non-payment region by region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26483/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Government is very concerned about the level of uncollected patient charges in the health system. This is one of the key areas now being examined by the Department of Health in the context of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

The Value for Money Report published in December last year highlighted a number of problems, including outmoded administrative systems and delays in sign-off of claims forms by consultants. The Minister supports the HSE proposal to remove the need for consultant sign off on claims being sent to Private Health Insurance companies by public hospitals. The HSE is currently undertaking a range of actions to address these issues, including setting targets for each hospital for the collection of charges. In addition, electronic claims management is being rolled out in the ten largest acute hospitals.

The current processes for collecting private patient fees from private health insurers have resulted in an unacceptably high level of uncollected revenues. The HSE has requested that insurers accept being billed directly by hospitals for accommodation charges, independent of the need for a consultant to sign off on the overall claim. To date each of the three major insurers has refused to agree to this approach.

The tables set out the amounts owed to statutory and voluntary hospitals in relation to charges for private accommodation in public hospitals, including the amounts owed by private health insurance companies, as at 31st December 2010. HSE accounting policy for bad and doubtful debts is such that known bad debts are written off in the period in which they are identified, with specific provision being made for any amount which is considered doubtful. General provision is made for patient debts which are outstanding for more that one year. While provision is made for debts in excess of one year in the Annual Financial Statements of the HSE, it is the Executive's policy to continue to pursue collection of these outstanding debts.

Bad Debt provision in respect of voluntary hospitals is not centrally collated and is therefore unavailable at this time. I have requested the HSE to collate this information and I will forward it to the Deputy as soon as it is available.