Universal Health Insurance System in Ireland

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Universal health insurance system in Ireland vision (2012-2015): is aiming for a single-tier health service which provides equal access to all based on need, not ability to pay delivering the best health outcomes for the Irish citizens. (1) Graph -1- The Universal Health Insurance (UHI) system vision (2) The WHO has stated that UHI once implemented appropriately has shown to improve health indicators (as infant mortality life expectancy) and prove service user satisfaction, lowers the costs of healthcare when compared with other funding methods and contribute to a stronger economic development, including a reduction of poverty levels so will pay back the budget invested in it. (2) UHI coverage also called Social Health Insurance (SHI) can be looked upon as a cube with three dimensions (see below) each dimension is representing a vital area that has to be addressed when considering UHI policy, the smaller filled cube represents the actual available free health services for the population and the bigger cube represents free good quality health services for all (social solidarity) which is funded from the prepaid pooled funds. (2) The free health services for all is not happening for the time being because of financial constraints but the coverage area will expand with time as more resources become available from back pay of the initial UHI coverage. (2) Graph 2 -The three dimensions of coverage decision (3) The health sector in Ireland is in a critical situation and by looking at different models over the globe the Irish policy makers were inspired by the Dutch health system, arguing that “The Netherlands spends only slightly more than us on health on a per capita basis, but has minimal waiting lists and is ranked number one i... ... middle of paper ... ...ams. JAMA 2012, 307:2153–2154. (16) Culyer AJ: Hic sunt dracones: the future of health technology assessment–one economist's perspective. Med Decis Making 2012, 32:E25–E32. (17) Kutzin J. Health financing for universal coverage and health system performance: concepts and implications for policy. World Health Organization. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2013 08; 91(8):602-11. (18) Claire Daley and James Gubb Healthcare Systems: The Netherlands Updated by Emily Clarke (December 2011) and Elliot Bidgood (January 2013) (19) Bakx, P., de Meijer, C., Schut, F. and van Doorslaer, E. (2014), GOING FORMAL OR INFORMAL, WHO CARES? THE INFLUENCE OF PUBLIC LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE. Health Econ.. doi: 10.1002/hec.3050 (20) Moreno-Serra R, Smith PC. Does progress towards universal health coverage improve population health? The Lancet 2012 Sep 08;380(9845):917-23.

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