Almost a quarter of the Irish adult population do not have cover for medical emergencies.
Latest figures revealed 41 per cent had private health insurance at the end of last year, with another 30 per cent in receipt of the medical card, and 6 per cent having both.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) said the proportion of men and women with medical cards rose as unemployment soared over the last three years - from 24 per cent to 31 per cent for men and 34 per cent to 41 per cent for women.
The number of non-Irish nationals with medical card cover only doubled from 16 per cent to 34 per cent.
The quarterly national household survey also revealed more men relied solely on general public health cover than women, with 26 per cent of men not having either a medical card or private health insurance, compared to a fifth of women.
The CSO revealed eight out of 10 adults reported being happy all or most of the time last year despite the recession.
Some 87 per cent perceived their own health was good or better, while 44 per cent of women and 40 per cent of men had at least one condition.
Hypertension, chronic back pain and high cholesterol were the most common ailments reported. Asthma was the most prevalent condition for 18 to 24-year-olds, at 10 per cent, followed by chronic back pain (4 per cent) and anxiety/depression (2 per cent).
Almost three-quarters of those surveyed had at least one GP visit in the previous year, with 39 per cent consulting a pharmacist, 27 per cent an optician, 43 per cent a dentist and just over one in 20 a community or public health nurse.
Men were less likely to visit a doctor, with the average number of consultations at 2.5, compared with 3.8 for women.
The CSO survey found hospital waiting lists rose to 8 per cent towards the end of last year, from 6 per cent in 2007.
People with a disability were more likely to be in need of tests or treatment, with 14 per cent on an out-patient waiting list, 5 per cent on an in-patient waiting list and 3 per cent waiting for a day-care procedure.
Figures revealed 13 per cent of all people had been on an out-patient waiting list for at least 12 months.
On average, those on an in-patient waiting list reported the longest wait - with 40 per cent reporting a wait of less than three months and 21 per cent reporting waiting times of 12 months or more.
PA