Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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476. To ask the Minister for Health the costs incurred by his Department since April 2014 in commissioning external expertise and advice on the development of a universal health insurance model. [24983/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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My Department has incurred costs of €249,175.50 from April 2014 to date in respect of the commissioning of external expertise and advice on the development of a universal health insurance model.

These costs are mainly associated with a 3 year Research Programme on Healthcare Reform, in partnership with the ESRI (€160,000) and, separately, the Department’s participation in the ESRI’s SWITCH (Simulating Welfare and Income Tax Changes) model programme (€50,000). Both programmes have contributed to the major costing project which is examining the cost implications of a change to a multi-payer universal health insurance model, as proposed in the White Paper on Universal Health Insurance.

In addition, following a public procurement process, the Department engaged the company, Crowe Horwath, to undertake an independent analysis of the main themes emerging from the public consultation on the White Paper on Universal Health Insurance(€39,175.50). The report outlining the findings of the thematic analysis is available on the Department's website at www.health.gov.ie.