C&AG report: Billing delay means private carers owe State hospitals €290m

State-funded hospitals were owed some €290m by health insurers for private patient treatment at the end of last year.

The latest report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) found that, due to serious delays in the collection of income from private health insurers, the exchequer “is effectively meeting the funding gap at hospitals until payment is made”.

The money owed to the HSE at the end of last year comprises €172m in relation to statutory hospitals and €118m for voluntary hospitals.