I agree, not even the promise of free GP care could make me vote this man in again! He is the most arrogant of TD’s and it definitely trying to divert attention from our national disgrace this week in Galway. Maybe when he goes back into the real world after the next election he will realise how we all feel about him.

Not a word on this for months, then suddenly when this appalling tragedy in Galway makes headlines all over the world, the Government make an announcement of this magnitude. Talk about trying to get the heat off or what!!!

Bingo Rodrigo, its the government taking us for eejits again. “LOOK OVER HERE….LOOK OVER HERE…..FREE STUFF FOR EVERYONE….ignore that dead womans body in the corner….LOOK OVER HERE”.

And to make things worse, if they’re not voted back in reilly can blame the voter and say ‘told you I needed two terms’.

Sick.

You know how it will be financed, paulo, through the grit and hard work of people who go out and work, for the benefit of those who don’t.

Andrew, at last some logic and sence on this thread! Well said! In truth over 40% of people in Ireland are already entitled to free GP care anyways. This is ambitious but it is certainly a good idea!! Maybe we should have a rule that if it does come in all the people who comment with the usual negativity should continue to pay :-)

I’m not convinced

Shay
It is a great idea in principal , very far reaching altho England have in place years (NHS)
but I am not convinced . Like Rodrigo said , it is a diversion tactic to bring this out just now in light of Savita’s death.
Call me cynical but No I can not see them get it off the ground, the government will make a bags of this too.

That wan^*r Reilly said he hadn’t had time to study a report submitted by his expert group on abortion according to an article in the Irish Times. After the Savita tragedy, the study of such report should have been his utmost priority….how many other innocent lives is he risking! BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS, ALL OF THEM MINISTERS.

http://m.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/1116/breaking2.html

Dream on! Now that the Troika has taken an interest in our healthcare costs, O’Reilly can promise anything, knowing it will be vetoed and he can blame someone else. When he tackles the consultants and brings them to heel we will take him more seriously!
We must treat all statements from DOH with a big duh!

These promises are quite disturbing because they simply cannot be implemented. The state simply relies so heavily on the payments from private health insurers. How, since our finances, have plummeted, does he think its possible to step in an pay theses monies? Madness and dreaming of the highest order. The fact that he will con some people is just unforgivable though.

fine Gael will say anything just like the last time but low and behold we still have not received any of their promises

Haha! I can’t believe he’s using this to try and get voted in again! I wonder what other bulls@it he’ll promise (and never deliver) before the next election.

You’ve made those figures up mate, source please?

I looked at the cost of the NHS in the UK and divided it by 15 and then extrapolated that across the tax base. My figures may have understated the costs because I made no allowances for the economy of scale in the UK vs. Ireland nor did I allow for the act that our current rate of PRSI have to fund higher welare and pension rates than those enjoyed in the UK, similarly I did not factor in the higher salaries and drug costs here. The PRSI rates and tax hikes that I estimated would be lower overall than the equivalent rates paid in the Uk, but that should be balanced out by the fact that only 15% of UK citizens have Private Health cover whereas it is envisaged under these proposals that 30% of the Irish will have private coverage.

That sure is odd Kingstown….that all GPs charge about the same!it’s not like hairdressers, beauticians, fitness instructors etc all charge in or around the same!!

It’s the two-term promise you dig! Buy the second-installment of the book and see what happens, but no money-back guarantee if James doesn’t deliver… speaking of which, I’m looking for directions to the new children’s hospital????

James, it works in the UK with the NHS, why shouldn’t it work in Ireland?

not being smart but you already pay for free health for people on the dole they are entitled to a medical card as are people who’s income falls below a certain threshold..
we should have implicated the house tax along with the free medical like in the UK which works

@Barry the NHS is no model to follow there system is a shambles.

I used to think that when I worked in the NHS in the UK. Now I’m over here I’d have to say that it is Good. Sure it has its’ issues but all systems do.

I’ve lived in 3 countries in my adult life.

The standard of healthcare I and my family have received in Ireland has been the worst and the only one that cost anything at the point of access.

Bring on Universal healthcare. It’s the only way to sort out the shambles OUR healthcare system is in.

What happens if you are already paying health insurance for you and your family? Are you going to be hit with another levy for “Universal Healthcare”. Are you going to have an option to continue with your own insurer or shoved into the new model? My own opinion is EVERYONE should have to pay or NOBODY pays. That’s way its fair and transparent.

@Jacqui

Same, and agree 100%..

If healthy so important to everyone, everyone should pay, a 20e reduction in the dole/disability/pensioners should be implemented under a universal health charge. It shouldn’t always come down to the working man. Rest assured health insurance will sky rocket

If health so important to everyone, everyone should pay, a 20e reduction in the dole/disability/pensioners should be implemented under a universal health charge. It shouldn’t always come down to the working man. Rest assured health insurance will sky rocket

@James Attley – Ever read a newspaper called ‘The Daily Mail’ – I tells ya, it was an enlightening experience for myself! Who knew – apparently the Euro causes cancer, Muslim immigrants are eating live Irish babies and Éamon Gilmore is really a woman!!! It sounds like it might be your thing…

Thats a moronic comment!

So you’ve logged on to moan about the moaners?

Was someone watching Inception?

Am I now moaning about the moaner moaning about the moaners?

that just proves my point ha

@Bellyup please explain your comment “everyone in this country has free healthcare” I pay every time I go to the doctor and the dentist, and I also pay for my health Insurance like lots if people in this country….

Belly up – you do realise that you just completely contradicted yourself?! “Everyone in this country already gets free healthcare” and “They should just bring the cost if visiting a GP down”.

How is it free if you have to pay for it?

Sorry I should have clarified and said free hospital healthcare.

Excellent point but you will get abused on this forum for that view. Free GP care for all is a fantastic vision and I for one hope the Minister is sucessful in this task. Problem is very large cohort on j.ie readers want things to actually get worse so they can complain even more..

Arbitrasure a little bit of history on this story. All the below are the ministers claims.

Free GP long term for the long term ill was meant to be introduced last March. In September the Minister claimed it was on track with a slight delay. Now he is claiming it will be mid 2013 before it’s introduced.

So I’d say he hasn’t delivered based on his own time frame and claims. I’d say people are entitled to take what he claims with a pinch of salt.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0915/1224324049439.html

Blue shirt alert!!! Ready to lap up the lies and carry on regardless. Reily won’t get a second term so that blows his ‘vision’ out of the water.

That article, flagging his intent, is sep 2012, did you expect it would be delivered yesterday?

Judge at the next election if he has a credible amount of his plan in place.

Assuming vested interests and opposition parties don’t try to pervert its progress purely to avoid any success.

His publication of some clarity on what he is actually doing as Minister is a welcome step. Now he can be assessed as he progresses – or not.

Just pointing out the minister has already missed his own time lines as he announced them in the Dail in January so I’d say it is pretty clear that he has failed to deliver. Once in March and then again when he said the Free long term GP scheme would be ready this summer. He has now moved it out to mid 2013.

Would you not call that ‘failing to deliver’?

Ohh don’t you worry arb, I can’t wait for the next GE. Taking back my vote to these lying hypocrites. We will see then. But in the mean time carry on defending an inept gov. And give us a lens of a few billion will ya, since your party are handing it out left right and centre. It’s a wonder how Stubbs will fund this? Magic beans perhaps…..oh wait MORE tax hikes for the middle income earner..ME!! Yes I will take back my vote with gusto. As you were.

Of course you voted for FG Ryan!!! Give me a break!! So many on here seemed to have voted for FG im supprised they did not get 90% of the vote….
Would people like free GP care or not?? Thats the only thing up for debate here….Its not just another chance to have a pop at the Goverment…Its just so boring…You are all just so boring

I bet you’ll find a major drop in support next time cotter. People don’t like to be fed blatant lies to get into power. FG are out of the game sorry pal looks like you backed the wrong team.

Fine Gael still have 50% more support than any other party, Ryan, a statistic that was measured during the worst period since the election.

I know, I know that facts hurt you deeply inside, because you’ve some innate inability to deal with them, but your swinging from Fianna Fail – Fine Gael – Sinn Fein (presumably) is indicative of your unrealistic expectations from these parties more than anything else.

Perhaps when you join us in reality some day you’ll see that not everyone is out to get you and that most people are just trying to do the best with what they have.

Get over your self. FG carry out their own opinion polls for their own glorification!! As I’v said before the only poll that matters is polling day, we will see soon enough.

In managing GP pay now, we can at lest cost this project going forward