The Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has confirmed that the government is holding off on the introduction of its Universal Health Insurance programme.
The news comes after Mr Varadkar has claimed the high costs of the proposed new system are currently not acceptable at this present time nor in the future. Mr Varadkar’s announcement follows a latest ESRI report being issued to the government outlining the high cost associated with universal health insurance.
Mr Varadkar said: “Reform in the past was rushed and as a result serious mistakes made such as at the time of the establishment of the HSE in 2005. “When these reforms are complete, we intend to revisit the precise model of universal health insurance, and will compare the pros and cons of a number of funding options.
The Health Minister added: “The decision on which model to adopt will be made by the next Government and implemented in the term of the Government after that.”