Survey: Plan to ‘fine’ young people without health insurance will not work

A system of fining young people who fail to take out health insurance before the age of 34 will not work.

That is according to a new survey from participants of the Big Health Insurance Switch campaign.

It finds that just 18% of those aged 24 to 34 without private insurance say the new Lifetime Community Rating will make them take it up.

Under the proposals, from May next year, anyone who enters the insurance market after the age of 34 will have to pay an extra 2% on their premium for every year they have been out of the system.

Only 9% of the 12,000 people surveyed have said they support the introduction of the rating.