Simon Harris: ‘I want to improve access. I want to improve waiting times’

Health Minister Simon Harris says he does not want to penalise people who took out private health insurance to protect themselves and their families.

He was responding to a draft report from the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare that proposes phasing out tax subsidies for private health insurance.

“I would not like to see any of the changes made in relation to the tax reliefs that are available that would adversely impact on hard-pressed people. I want to improve access. I want to improve waiting times. I want to get to a stage where we have universal health care, but you get there over a period, and you don’t get there by starting to penalising people who take out private health insurance,” he said.