HEALTH Minister Mary Harney was accused yesterday of making people more afraid of using the public hospital system so that they would take out private health insurance.

WITH just two players left in the health insurance market there could be problems in generating real price competition, a consumer watchdog warned yesterday.

Where the commercial viability of one firm came into conflict with the greater good of the wider community, there was really only going to be one winner.

HEALTH insurer Vivas made a loss of €3.6 million in 2005, its first full year of trading.

THE latest entrant to the health insurance market, Vivas health, has complained to the European Commission that the State is protecting the VHI from real competition.