The government has been warned that excluding private health care from public hospitals could “inevitably and significantly increase the cost of holding private health insurance,” potentially doubling some premiums. ing.
In a letter from Irish Life Health to the Ministry of Health on April 13, the insurer expressed concern about the impact of a planned regulatory change on health insurance minimum benefits.
Health insurers are now required to provide a minimum level of benefits in all contracts, including listed medical services provided by both private and public hospitals.
In line with the Surante Care Reform Plan, it is proposed that the regulation be amended to remove the requirement to provide private healthcare in public hospitals.
He expressed concern that a “large group” of younger customers would likely abandon private health insurance altogether rather than enroll in more expensive plans.
After a meeting in March between Robert Watt, Executive Director of the Department of Health, and Gerald Davis, Managing Director of Irish Life Health, Mr Davis sent a letter to Mr Watt, thereby making it a popular entry for younger customers. He warned that the value of LEVEL health insurance plans would drop significantly. .
In a letter obtained by The Irish Times through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, he said a “large group” of younger customers would be more likely to hold private health insurance rather than enroll in more expensive plans. expressed concern that it was likely to abandon the
He also noted that limited or non-existent maternal and child care in private settings would lead to similar declines in health insurance coverage in those cohorts.
Mr. Davis warned that “significant price increases” for both new and existing customers were “inevitable” due to the large proportion of older, high-risk customers among health plan subscribers.
“Even with the current high medical inflation and associated rising claims costs, health insurance premiums for some people (e.g., those currently choosing entry-level plans) are likely We estimate that it could potentially double in the most likely scenario.”
exacerbate the pressure
The letter warned that excluding private health care from public hospitals could exacerbate existing pressures on the public system, as patients “price up” private health care.
Irish Life Health says the Ministry of Health should take a ‘more cautious’ approach and public hospitals will gradually reduce and eventually eliminate the number of beds designated for privately insured patients over time. proposed.
In a statement to The Irish Times, the health ministry said: “The exclusion of private health care from public hospitals could have implications for the private health insurance market.”
“This slower transition will give health insurers time to come up with new products that will appeal to younger customers and solidify their community rating system,” Davis said. Community valuation means that insurers must charge the same amount for a given level of coverage regardless of age, gender or health.
In a statement to The Irish Times, the health ministry said: “The exclusion of private health care from public hospitals could have implications for the private health insurance market.”
[ Over 40% of Sláintecare reforms suffered delay last year, report finds ]
[ Whether Sláintecare lives or dies is now in hands of the consultants ]
“Slainte Care’s vision is to achieve a universal, single-tiered health care and social security system where everyone has equitable access to services based on need rather than ability to pay. , states that the exclusion of private practice from public hospitals is a core principle of sleinte care, that public health facilities are used only for public patients, and that public patients have access to public hospitals based on clinical criteria. We need it,” a ministry spokesman said.
The ministry said the recently introduced public-only sleinte-care consultant contract will begin removing private care from the public system, but many consultants will likely keep their existing (public-only) contracts for some time. said to be high.
The ministry advised Irish Life on the matter “in parallel with other reforms underway under Slenthecare to allow sufficient time to introduce the necessary improvements to the capacity and care model”. He added that he asked for
