Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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524. To ask the Minister for Health if the new lifetime community rating late entry levy will apply to returning emigrants over 35 years of age [15643/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Lifetime Community Rating (LCR) 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. The regulations provide for a grace period up until 30 April 2015, during which time as many people as want to can take out health insurance without incurring loadings. From 1 May 2015, late entry loadings will be applied to those who join the private health insurance market at age 35 or over.

Anybody who lives outside the State on 1 May 2015, and who returns or moves to take up residence in Ireland after that date, will have a grace period of 9 months to purchase private health insurance without incurring loadings.