Proposals to abolish tax relief on health insurance

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What are people's opinions on the suggestion that people may have the tax allowance taken away from their premiums? This will add an extra €400 to €600 pa to the average policy. Surely private health insurance in in every one's interest and takes the pressure off the goverments responsibility for everyone to have hospital access and treatment. If it happens, i'd imagine an awful lot of people will simply be stretched too far, just one more final kick to their already depleted finances.
 
Apparently our new Taoiseach Vardaker says it's not going to happen. Makes me wonder, is this another unloaded missile they threw out there for some reaction?
 
I think it will "only" add €200 max per policy no? As tax relief is only available at 20% and is capped on the first €1k I believe.
 
If a families policy came to €3000, as many do, then they would be losing out on €600. If i'm incorrect, i'm sorry.
 
odyssey06 said:
If they take off the tax relief then take off all the levies too... if they want private insurance to stand alone.
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Add to this the penalty of €800 per day for a trolly if you have the cheek to have health insurance, while the state will pay €80 per day for the exact same treatment if you have no health insurance.
 
The suggestion is a joke at the expense of the group in Irish society who pay for everything. Sickening but not surprising.

And as for this bit from the report
Hospital consultants who currently work privately in public hospitals should be paid more in compensation, and rewarded better for elective work in the public sector, its draft report recommends.
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The Left in this country are off their rockers
 
The tax relief feels regressive in some ways
- it's funded in part by people who can't afford to avail of it.
- the people who can afford the most benefit the most.


I'd be ok with phasing it out slowly if need be - better not kill the industry outright. My ideal world features really good public healthcare for 97% and amazing healthcare for the 3% wealthy enough to fund (by proxy) medical research.
 
trasneoir said:
The tax relief feels regressive in some ways
- it's funded in part by people who can't afford to avail of it.
- the people who can afford the most benefit the most.
I'd be ok with phasing it out slowly if need be - better not kill the industry outright.
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So is tax relief on pensions and permanent health insurance (i.e. disability income replacement policies).
Just because something is 'regressive' doesn't mean it should be abolished if it is encouraging people to use their funds in a 'wise' way.

'Progessive' policies are pointless if all they do is tax something to death.
Tax people too much, they stop earning.
Make private health insurance too expensive, people cancel their policies - and become totally reliant on the public health purse.
 
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trasneoir said:
My ideal world features really good public healthcare for 97% and amazing healthcare for the 3% wealthy enough to fund (by proxy) medical research.
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Do you have any suggestions as to how really good public healthcare for 97% could be achieved
 
I don't. But I suspect it's more achievable if the state is paying for it, and if most decision makers and healthcare workers are themselves on public health insurance.
 
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I really thought it was the most insane idea I've ever heard! It would certainly push me and many like me to consider giving it up. It's already a fine chunk out of my cheque. It seems to assume people paying health insurance are all rich - many struggle to pay it and only keep it out of fear. To me it's the same people being landed with paying everything yet again.:mad:
 
Some elderly people rely on the tax relief to afford the premium.

Meanwhile the people who pay nothing rub their hands with glee now that they've avoided the €3 a week water would have cost.

This is an insane proposal.
 
This latest proposition makes me feel that President Trump is not the worst in the world.

What is happening in Ireland in relation to health insurance is very American in it's nature. If you can afford to pay for private health cover - or it is available as part of your remuneration package - that is great. If you cannot afford to pay for it society does not care.

I thought for a long time that the Irish government was keen to get as many people as possible in to the private system for the obvious costs saving advantage to the State. If you get enough people in to the private healthcare insurance system government will then be able to provide a very basic or stripped down public system to catch those who do may not have cover for many reasons.

The co-location idea was the parallel notion with the massive private coverage concept. That died a death too.

IMHO the combination of levies, already constricted income tax relief on premiums, the veritable price gouging of insurers based on medical inflation as distinct from real world inflation and the sheer bad value that consumers get suggests a scenario more likely to drive consumers out of the private health insurance market. This all leaves me wondering what the hell is government policy on the broader issue of health insurance and health care provision.
 
trasneoir said:
What is happening in Ireland in relation to health insurance is very American in it's nature. If you can afford to pay for private health cover - or it is available as part of your remuneration package - that is great. If you cannot afford to pay for it society does not care.
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That doesn't apply to Ireland - look at the public health budget. And while it used to apply to America at federal level, it does not apply to the US at state level, many of which have state level healthcare budgets e.g. Massachusetts.

IMHO the combination of levies, already constricted income tax relief on premiums, the veritable price gouging of insurers based on medical inflation as distinct from real world inflation and the sheer bad value that consumers get suggests a scenario more likely to drive consumers out of the private health insurance market. This all leaves me wondering what the hell is government policy on the broader issue of health insurance and health care provision.
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Do you mean that insurers are being gouged? Or that insurers are doing the gouging?
Because in the Irish context, it looks a lot more like the former not the latter. And rather than trying to tackle medical inflation within the public sector the government are passing the buck by transferring the costs to the insurers (who can do nothing about reducing costs in the public health sector).
 
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