Taoiseach denies health premiums will cost €1,600
Enda Kenny said he could not predict the cost at this stage, because Universal Health Insurance will not be introduced “for some time.” But he said that “long before” the next general election, expected in Spring 2016, “people will understand the universal health insurance concept, principle and proposal.”
He was responding to Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin, who argued that plans to launch a public consultation process on the plan was merely a ploy to push it beyond this May’s local and European elections.
Mr Martin said the Taoiseach had “teed it up to get himself over the next general election with no detail” and “will certainly get by the local elections with absolutely no detail.”
The Cabinet yesterday agreed to refer the issue to the Oireachtas Health Committee, chaired by Fine Gael TD Jerry Buttimer, which the Taoiseach said will play a “central role in the process.”
The committee will consider what should be covered as part of the standard package of health insurance, which could include universal GP care, acute hospital care, acute mental health care and rehabilitative care.
Mr Kenny said the consultation process will also involve “ordinary citizens, men and women around the country who will be impacted on by this change.” He said the Government, at its meeting yesterday, “accepted and confirmed the concept and principle” of Universal Health Insurance.
“It is continuing to discuss the question of how best to roll it out and the process through which we can explain exactly what is involved,” he added.
A draft White Paper on the plan is expected to be brought to Cabinet next week.
During Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil yesterday, Mr Martin said: “The plan now is to get to the next general election, when the Taoiseach will tee it up again and make the exact same promise he made three years ago, which will then be five years ago, and say we have another five years to go before we implement this, with no detail whatsoever.”
He said the Taoiseach must be “honest with the people” and say that it will ultimately cost them more.
But Mr Kenny said it is a “serious piece of restructuring of the health service and I accept that we have to get it right.”
