Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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438. To ask the Minister for Health if a private care hospital bill will be cancelled in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22636/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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All persons ordinarily resident in Ireland are entitled to receive public in-patient services in public hospitals, subject to applicable statutory public in-patient charges. However, for a specified episode of in-patient services, where a person does not avail of, or waives his/her right to public in-patient services, but instead avails of private in-patient services for example private consultant services, he/she shall not have eligibility for public in-patient services for that episode of in-patient care.

Where a patient has opted to be treated as a private patient in a public hospital, and has advised the hospital's Admissions staff that he/she has private health insurance, the patient will be asked to sign the relevant private health insurer Hospital Claim Form and a Private Insurance Patient form. This ensures that all charges related to the provision of private in-patient services for that episode of care are submitted to the patient's private health insurer for payment. When choosing to be treated privately, it is important that persons are satisfied as to their level of insurance cover.

Patients opting to be treated privately have chosen to pay the consultant and the hospital in respect of the services that each provides. Under the Health Act 1970 (as amended), the HSE is required to levy statutory private in-charges on all patients opting to receive private in-patient services. There is no provision in the legislation to waive these charges.