Brian Stanley warns of soaring private health insurance costs
Brian Stanley spoke in support of a motion on household costs and criticised rising private health insurance, electricity arrears and widening inequality. He urged rapid implementation of Sláinte Care, stronger disability supports, a rent freeze, a living wage and reinstated energy credits, and asked the minister to withdraw an amendment and back the motion.
Rising private health insurance costs
Brian Stanley highlighted repeated premium increases by providers, saying VHI rose three times in the last 12 months and other firms have ‘ramped up prices’. He cited an elderly couple aged 81 and 82 whose basic policy now costs €4,506.66 per year while they live on a single pension and fear letting cover lapse.
Household arrears and cost pressures
He pointed to rising personal debt and electricity arrears approaching £200,000 alongside sharply higher living costs for food, heating and electricity. He said health costs are an added burden on vulnerable households and argued the country is behind other European states on public healthcare provision.
Policy demands and Sláinte Care
Stanley urged speedy delivery of Sláinte Care as a universal public health system and called for immediate measures in the motion: implement a rent freeze, introduce a living wage, reinstate energy credits for low-income households and enact a cost-of-disability payment. He said access to treatment must be based on medical need rather than ability to pay.
Disability payments and recent budget measures
He criticised the level of disability supports, saying the payment is at €230 a week and referencing a basic payment of €32. He listed one-off supports from the October 2024 budget year — including a €400 extra cost-of-living payment for disability, €300 fuel allowance, €300 living-alone increase, €200 electricity credits and €230 extra on the Christmas bonus — and argued ongoing expenses remain high due to inflation.
Calls for fiscal fairness
Stanley argued for taxing the wealthy to redistribute resources, saying billionaires can afford to contribute and that the gap between the bottom and top has widened. He framed his appeal as a call for a fairer society and asked the minister to withdraw the amendment and support the motion.
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I want to welcome this motion and thank Deputy Seamus Healy for bringing it forward. It is timely. Minister, personal debt is up, the electricity arrears of households is up nearly on £200,000 and profits are up massively, as has been outlined, and private health insurance is going out to the roof. The motion outlines a number of serious measures that need to be taken. I just want to add the issue of private health insurance. People, unfortunately, have to take it out, particularly the elderly and those who have health issues. The costs have escalated and skyrocketed in recent years. Not once a year are they going up, not twice, but three times a year. VHI in the last 12 months have increased on three separate occasions. Leah have ramped up prices. All of them have ramped up prices. One leashed couple, they are 81 and 82 years of age, this couple. Their policy has gone up to €4,506.66 per annum. They live on one pension. There is him and her, and she is an adult dependent. That is their only form of income. They have the most basic cover. The minimum. That is all they have. They are terrified to let it lapse, because both of them have felt issues. €4,500 per annum is not affordable for pensioners who are just on a single state pension. The couple in question are in a very, very difficult situation. They have to pay rent, heating, electricity, shopping, home repairs. It will cause, really cause, financial hardship. And there is a copy of the demand there. That is a copy of it, which they shared with me. And can I just say to you, you know, we are supposed to be moving to universal healthcare, under Solange Care. And we have a year or so left to go in this. But we have made snail's pace progress on this. I accept that the issue of Covid held it up for a year or so. But we are still nowhere near where we should be at this. And we need to get Solange Care. That is a universal public health system in place. We are way behind the rest of Europe. Health costs are putting a huge burden on top of the things already outlined here in the last half an hour. On top of households and particularly vulnerable people. We need equal access to treatment, regardless of your ability to pay. It has to be based on your medical needs alone. And we are completely out of step. And we are in the dark ages compared to the rest of Europe. Including countries that are much poorer than us. So we need to get that in place. And we need to move forward as quickly as possible to it. Can I just mention as well, and in support of one big measure in that motion, in relation to the extra cost of disability. You know, it is at €230 a week. 32 euros, the basic payment. It is much lower than the poverty threshold, which is deemed to be at €291. There are significant extra costs for people with disabilities. And last year, Minister, in the budget, when I say last year, the budget, that was the budget of October 2024, when we were on the cusp of an election. There was €400 extra cost of living payment for disability. There was €300 extra for fuel allowance in one payment alone. Living alone allowance up €300. Electricity credits of €200 each time. €230 extra on the basic Christmas bonus. And last October, there was no election, but there were no increases like this. Zero. They all came and went. But the expenses that people have are still the same. In fact, they have actually gone up because of the rate of inflation. Particularly for essentials like food. And this is the key point. For food, for heating, for electricity and for health insurance and health costs, which they shouldn't have to pay. And I just wanted to say that, you know, there's very basic measures called for here. You know, to implement a rent freeze. You're going to do the opposite on the 1st of March, which is terrible. Implement a living wage. You know, introduce the cost of disability payment is key. Also, speed up the implementation of Sláinte Care and get a public health system in place. And reinstate energy credits, particularly for low-income households. And don't shy away from taxing the billionaires. The billionaires have the cash. Other countries do it. We need to take a bit of it off and give it to those people who are at the bottom end. Because the gap, all the statistics show that the gap between those at the bottom and those at the top has widened. And we can't continue going like this. We can't have a situation like America. We have to have a fairer society like the rest of Europe. That's what we need here. And I'd ask you to take back the amendment that you have and withdraw it and support this motion.
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