I have to admit – I find the health insurance issue here in Ireland to be a confusing one. What exactly do we get for paying health insurance? Sure, the people who pay the top rates get to be seen in the top private hospitals. A woman who is planning to have children may want semi/private maternity care. Private health insurance allows you to skip waiting lists (is this morally right?) and get semi/private accommodation in both cases where applicable.
We often hear about the two tier health system, and how this is a bad thing. We also hear that the Government are doing everything possible to level the playing field. This is commendable. There shouldn’t be tiers when it comes to health. Nobody can deny that health is the most important thing in life. Everything else pales to insignificance when you don’t have it. So health ends up being the most costly item in the budget. As it should be. We even have a health ‘levy’ (read ‘stealth tax’) added to PRSI. But why do around 50% of us pay health insurance when only 10% of our neighbours across the water pay it?
Our minister for health says this is due to community rating. That no doubt has a part to play. But it is also due to the fact that, bad and all as the NHS is, it is a far better and fairer system than over here. I have many friends in the UK. They pay little for visiting the doctor, or for prescriptions. There was a debate in the 70’s about us following the UK and having our own NHS style system. Vested interests won out. Weak politicians backed down. Decades later we are paying the price.
Perhaps vested interests and weak politicians may also be the subject of a later article. But to stay on point here I would ask a question of those who pay health insurance: Why? Should we get the same service regardless of whether we have health insurance or not? How many ministers and TD’s have health insurance and still say they are against a two tier health system? Perhaps there is a case to be made for better accommodation and meals if you pay more for them, but better care?
Yet the health insurance industry is important to the government. After all, isn’t health insurance a stealth tax of sorts; a way for the government to save money?
Next time a politician comes to the door ask them if they would support a free health service at the point of delivery like the NHS, or would they prefer to force people to take out private health insurance due to health service failures. If you get a straight answer please let me know.
