Submission of the Health Insurance Authority to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children
| dc.contributor.author | The Health Insurance Authority | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2014-02-28T14:25:40Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2014-02-28T14:25:40Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2009-12-14 | |
| dc.identifier.citation | The Health Insurance Authority, "Submission of the Health Insurance Authority to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children" 2009 | en_GB |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10147/313516 | |
| dc.description | The Authority is a statutory body that was established in 2001 as a regulator of private health insurance. (The Financial Regulator also has responsibilities in the health insurance market, including in relation to solvency). The principal functions of the Authority as provided for in the Health Insurance Acts include the following: • To monitor the health insurance market and to advise the Minister for Health and Children (“the Minister”) (either at his or her request or on its own initiative) on matters relating to health insurance; • To monitor the operation of the Health Insurance Acts and, where appropriate, to issue enforcement notices to enforce compliance with the Acts; • To carry out certain functions in relation to health insurance stamp duty and age related tax credits and in relation to any risk equalisation scheme that may be introduced; • To take such action as it considers appropriate to increase the awareness of members of the public of their rights as consumers of health insurance and of health insurance services available to them; and • To maintain “The Register of Health Benefits Undertakings” and “The Register of Health Insurance Contracts”. The Authority is independent in the performance of its functions. The following are some examples of work undertaken by the Authority in recent times: • In 2007, the Authority issued a comprehensive report on competition in the health insurance market. • Following the 2008 Supreme Court Decision to set aside the Risk Equalisation Scheme then applying, the Authority submitted a Report to the Minister setting out the Authority’s advice in relation to how community rating could be supported in the changed circumstances. Subsequently, the Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 was introduced, which provided for an interim tax credit / levy system to support community rating as well as other measures, for example pertaining to consumer information and enforcement. • The Authority carries out periodic surveys into consumer attitudes and behaviour in relation to health insurance, most recently in 2008. • In October 2009 the Authority submitted a Report to the Minister under the 2009 Act providing advice in relation to the review of the tax credit / levy arrangements. • The Authority provides assistance to consumers in relation to health insurance and dealt with over 1,000 cases over the last 12 months. • The Authority recently launched a new website, which includes a product comparison tool that consumers can use to find the products that best suit their needs as to both coverage and price.• In November 2009, the Authority submitted a preliminary report to the Minister outlining considerations to be taken into account in applying risk equalisation to factors other than age and gender. | en_GB |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.publisher | The Health Insurance Authority | en_GB |
| dc.subject | HEALTH INSURANCE | en_GB |
| dc.title | Submission of the Health Insurance Authority to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children | en_GB |
| dc.type | Report | en |
| or.author | The Health Insurance Authority | |
| refterms.dateFOA | 2018-08-23T12:02:18Z |
