Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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267. To ask the Minister for Health if he will address a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44955/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It is important that a person seeking private healthcare is satisfied as to their level of cover and I would therefore encourage individuals to carefully review their private health insurance requirements when taking out, renewing, or before seeking to make a claim on their medical insurance. This includes which hospitals are covered under which plans.

If an individual wishes to upgrade their cover and to use a benefit on the new plan which is higher than the benefit provided on the old plan, they may have to serve an upgrade waiting period before full cover for this benefit is available. The maximum waiting period that may be applied to any higher benefit on a new plan is 2 years.

The Health Act 1970 provides that all persons ordinarily resident in the country are eligible, subject to certain charges, to all in-patient public hospital services in public wards including consultant services and out-patient public hospital services. Persons can opt to be treated privately on admission to a public hospital, in which case they are liable for the consultants fees and hospital charges arising for that episode of care, whether paid for by the patient or by a health insurer on their behalf.