Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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149. To ask the Minister for Health the affect that removing any subsidy from private health insurance, both in terms of taxation and reduced hospital charges, would have on premia for those buying private health insurance; the effect this may have on the numbers taking up PHI, and the consequent increased cost to the public system that would result from higher levels of patients using the public system. [9510/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, the issue of taxation is a matter for the Minister for Finance. The private health insurers operate in a competitive market, and the premiums charged for private health insurance policies is a commercial decision for each private health insurance company.

Under the Health Insurance Act 1970, everyone who is ordinarily resident in Ireland qualifies for public hospital care. Notwithstanding this, 43.9% of the Irish population has private health insurance and many people opt to be treated privately. The Irish hospital system contains a mix of public and private hospitals, with public hospitals treating both public and private patients. On admittance to a public hospital, patients make a choice to to be treated by a medical consultant on a public basis, or to waive their right to public treatment and be treated on a private basis.

It is not known how many persons who previously held private health insurance will subsequently present for treatment in a public hospital in a future period of time, nor is it possible to predict with any certainty how many people will choose instead to be treated as a public patient, as they are fully entitled to do.