Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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424. To ask the Minister for Health when he expects legislation on health insurance, specifically to provide insurers with legal clarity to facilitate insurers when withdrawing products from the market and protection to consumers where benefits are continuously changed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14418/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Our system of community-rated private health insurance is underpinned by a Risk Equalisation Scheme (RES). Under the RES, insurers receive risk equalisation credits to compensate for the additional cost of insuring older and less healthy members, which are funded by stamp duty levies payable by open market insurers in respect of each insured life covered. Legislation is required each year to revise the applicable risk equalisation credits and the corresponding stamp duty levies necessary to fund them.

As part of the development of the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2016, the main purpose of which is to provide for revised RE credits and stamp duties payable, it is proposed that the legal basis to facilitate the formal withdrawal of health insurance products will be clarified. Subject to government approval, the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2016 will be drafted with a view to enactment by end of 2016.