Madam, – It has been suggested that the cost of providing citizens with universal healthcare on an equal basis could harm their employment prospects (Home News, April 15th). This is a very queer hypothesis for a minister for health to present as justification for perpetuating the status quo.
It is an argument that corresponds to the scare tactics used in the US by the Tea Party movement and Sarah Palin against Barack Obama’s healthcare plans.
By the same package-deal logic, the public expense involved in offering universal access to clean water and a good education could also curb job creation. – Yours etc,
Dr GERRY BURKE,
Mid-Western Regional
Maternity Hospital,
Limerick.
Madam, – You call for a healthcare debate (Editorial, April 12th), given that the status quo is unsustainable. Let me throw three balls into the court.
1. Let us move toward universal health insurance cover, but critically with at least 33 per cent of the premium based on lifestyle. 2. Let at least 10 or 20 virtually unused new hotels, based in hospital towns, contract to keep and feed non-intensive care patients at one-quarter the cost and four times the comfort of the HSE. 3. Let every person have from birth to grave, their own personal data stick, on which goes their PPSI number, current photo, all medical details, tests, scans, prescriptions, donor status etc. and let every health-related outlet have a reader/writer for same. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – With regard to your online poll (April 14th) on the introduction of a universal social health insurance scheme in Ireland, surely we have a “universal social health insurance scheme”: it’s called pay related social insurance (PRSI)? – Yours etc,
SHAUN THORPE,
Beachdale,
Kilcoole,
Co Wicklow.