Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

221. To ask the Minister for Health the way lifetime community rating will impact on plans to introduce universal health insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11033/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The White Paper on Universal Health Insurance, which was published on 2 April 2014, outlines the UHI model for Ireland. Under UHI, everyone will be insured for a standard package of health services and will have their choice of health insurer from a mix of private health insurers and a publicly owned health insurer.

In paving the way for UHI, it is important that we lay a solid foundation for the future health system. Having a healthy, vibrant private health insurance market is a key building block for facilitating the transition to the system of UHI as envisaged in the White Paper.

Lifetime Community Rating is being introduced to encourage people to take out private health insurance at a younger age. Encouraging more people to join the market at younger ages helps spread the costs of older and less healthy people across the market, helping to support affordable premiums for all. Lifetime Community Rating relates only to the current voluntary private health insurance market and will not apply when we move to UHI. However, it is important to note that any loading that applies when a person purchases private health insurance after 1 May 2015 will continue to apply in all subsequent years, until such time as UHI is in place. Under UHI, everyone will be charged the same premium for the same policy regardless of age or risk profile, i.e. community rating will apply.