Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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205. To ask the Minister for Health the status of a review of the policy on charging private patients in public hospitals; if he has had direct engagement with insurance companies on the matter; when the review will be completed; and if it will accord with his reported view that it is not acceptable that persons are being pressurised at a vulnerable time to sign forms that allow hospitals to bill health insurers for treatments provided by the public health system. [22300/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Although a proportion of activity in public hospitals involves the provision of care to private patients, the core purpose of the system is to provide services for public patients. Government policy is to ensure that there is equitable access for public patients, that the proportion of private activity is appropriately controlled and that the costs of provision of services to private patients are recouped by public hospitals.

When a patient is admitted to hospital, he or she has the option of being treated as a public or a private patient. A patient's status in this regard is determined in the first instance according to whether or not he/she chooses to waive his/her right to be eligible for public in-patient services and in doing so chooses to be admitted as the private patient of a consultant whose contract permits private practice.

All patients who opt to be treated privately in a public hospital are subject to charges, as provided for by the Health (Amendment) Act 2013. Detailed operational procedures in this regard, including arrangements in relation to patients who wish to avail of private health insurance to meet the costs due, are managed by the HSE. The application of these operational procedures should be sensitive to the health status of patients whilst in hospital.

My Department is undertaking an analysis of trends in private activity in public hospitals since the Health (Amendment) Act 2013 commenced and I expect to receive a report in this regard before the end of May. Engagement with private health insurance companies does not form part of this exercise.