Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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1606. To ask the Minister for Health if he will review the practice of hospitals using debt collection agencies; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that patients currently undergoing treatment for cancer and other illnesses are charged €80 per day for outpatient treatment and if payment is not received within 47 days this can be passed onto debt collection agencies; his views on whether this practice is patient centred; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14828/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The current framework is set out in the Health Act 1970 (as amended).  It provides that all persons ordinarily resident in the country are eligible, subject to certain charges, to public patient hospital services including consultant services. All persons, irrespective of illness or condition, accessing public in-patient (including day case) services in a public hospital are liable for the statutory in-patient daily charge of €80 up to a maximum of €800 in any period of 12 consecutive months, subject to a number of exemptions which include:

- medical card holders;

- people receiving treatment for prescribed infectious diseases - including Coronavirus (Covid-19);

- people who are subject to 'long-stay' charges;

- children referred for treatment from child health clinics and school board examinations;

- people who are eligible for hospital services because of EU Regulations;

- women receiving maternity services;

- children up to 6 weeks of age;

- people with hepatitis C who have a Health Amendment Card;

- people who are part of the Redress Scheme for Women Resident in Certain Institutions.

The vision of Sláintecare is to achieve a universal single-tier health and social care system where everyone has equitable access to services based on need and not ability to pay. In its report, the Houses of the Oireachtas Committee on the future of healthcare called for "universal health system accessible to all on the basis of need, free at the point of delivery (or at the lowest possible cost)" (2017, p56). Over time, the vision is that everyone will have entitlement to a comprehensive range of primary, acute and social care services at no cost or at a substantially reduced cost and that the vast majority of this care will be provided in primary and community settings.

Sláintecare Implementation Strategy & Action Plan 2021 contains the following key workstream in the Development of a Citizen Care Masterplan as part of its Reform Programme: Addressing Health Inequalities:

Develop policy proposals and options for achieving universal eligibility across hospital and community settings

The aim of this workstream is to consider the current eligibility and entitlement policies, and review how they align with population needs as identified in other workstreams, with a view to achieving universal eligibility/entitlement. The following will be considered:

- the range of services to be provided on a universal basis

- the rationale and methodology for phased eligibility/entitlement for the services, and

- financial mechanisms and phasing

This analysis will then inform the preferred future eligibility framework to deliver universal access to healthcare for decision by Government.