Eric
Do we learn nothing. The cost of running a Hospital or Nursing Home under State Management is roughly twice the cost of running it commercially or to use that naughty word “Privately”.

‘ One state owned operator (modernized) would be far cheaper and simpler’
Jesus wept ! Your describing the VHI. The reason why both medical insurance and care is so expensive here is because that is what we had and have. Their admin costs are double the other 3.

Eric, you should compare the benefits and services offered by VHI in today’s competitive market to those offered by VHI 20 years ago when they were the only insurer on the market. It took the opening up of the market before they started making significant improvements in their benefits and offerings, e.g. student rates, enhanced hospital cover, primary care benefits, and so on. Returning to a monopoly would not be good for innovation or benefit improvements.

I agree there is more options now, but that’s no good to those who can no longer afford any cover.

No. The money taken in each year is there to cover current payouts. This always relied on a consistent age profile of young and old. The problem now is that young people are leaving in droves when they have no money and after realising they are just funding the health costs of older members.
They system you are imagining would be more akin to a individually funded insurance scheme where the young person pays for their own future, expensive health costs. The old VHI members are pissing and moaning now thinking that is what they have done all these years and they are completely wrong.

They pay their CEO half a million euros a year. Before bonuses.

I don’t believe that you are so naive. Anything and i mean anything the state touches is more costly and inefficient than anything in the private sector. You must work in the VHI

Apologies Eric maybe not the VHI. I see you’re a labour part supporter. Enough said !

Blind ideology doesn’t fit all. The VHI was (and is) in dire need of reform. But the cost of maintaining a multi company market with large reserves and each drawing a profit is more expensive. The market cannot support it and ordinary people are being forced out of cover. The current system isn’t working and requires serious change.

With all due respects Eric that’s rubbish. At this level the reserve issue is a red herring. The companies involved can easily maintain the reserves. The issue is that the VHI is effectively operating under the protection of the state abd medical costs are benchmarked off them. The EU don’t like it but the state won’t change it until the daily fines start to arrive. Also remember the public health system is dependant on private health insurance . Extrapolate the current situation out 10 years. Private hospitals will take all the lucrative business and the public system will be left with A&E’s. the old and the less well off. And before you say anything Universal health insurance it’s a myth. All that will happen is that instead of the overall standard going up the service will default to the least common denominator which is the sh1t service that we have today but at twice the cost

So you disagree with me saying that the current system isn’t working, by saying that the current system isn’t working. That’s a strange tactic……

I considered cancelling this year, but went ahead.
When you’re 62 you’ll inevitably have had an illness or two, that you’ll need to see out a 5-year waiting period (or whatever the phrase is).
But by the time you’re 62 you’ll probably have saved €30-40 grand you could have spent on health insurance.
I’ll prob cancel it next year.

It’s a 10 year waiting period for pre-existing medical conditions when you’re over 60. So if you happen to be diagnosed with a serious illness when you’re 61, there’s no point in starting a Vhi policy then, your money would be better spent on your funeral arrangements