HSE and private health insurance scrapped with plan for single-tier model

THE Government plans to scrap private health insurance and the Health Service Executive (HSE) under a new healthcare model where those who can pay will, and those who can’t will be paid for by the Exchequer.

The proposals commit to developing a single-tier health service where access to care is based on need under a Universal Health Insurance (UHI) model expected to be in place by 2016. This is a system whereby those who can afford to pay will, while the State will pay insurance premia for people on low incomes and subsidise premia for people on middle incomes.

Insurance with a public or private insurer will be compulsory; insurers will be obliged to offer the same package of services to all and will not be allowed to sell insurance giving faster access to procedures covered by a defined UHI package, the make-up of which will be determined by the new health minister.