Leo Varadkar set to rule out universal health insurance in Ireland

Health Minister Leo Varadkar is to bring a memo to cabinet today ruling out the original Universal Health Insurance model.

The Cabinet are to discuss the findings of three studies on Universal Health Insurance, which are said to have found the original model developed by predecessor James Reilly is too costly.

A Government source said the research will put an end to any plan to introduce the multi-payer model, which would have seen private insurers competing with each other and the public VHI to pay for aspects of healthcare, primarily GP and hospital care.