Private Health Insurance in Ireland: A Case Study

Francesca Colombo and Nicole Tapay

No 10, OECD Health Working Papers from OECD Publishing

Abstract: This paper analyses the Irish private health insurance (PHI) market. It describes how PHI interacts with the public system, and assesses its contribution to equity, efficiency and responsiveness of the health system. The analysis identifies some of the factors affecting insurance market performance and its impact on the health system, including market characteristics, the regulatory and fiscal environment, health system organisation, and any actors’ incentives and behaviours. PHI plays a prominent role in Ireland. The health system is designed to offer comprehensive publicly funded health services to low-income groups, and universal public hospital coverage. Policies have encouraged the development of PHI to provide all individuals with a private alternative to the public system, as well as a means of funding cost-sharing and services not covered by the public system. With the implementation of the requirements of the Third EU Non-Life Directive, the PHI market, historically ... Cet article analyse le marché de l'assurance maladie privée (AMP) en Irlande. Il décrit comment l'assurance maladie privée interagit avec le système public et évalue sa contribution à l’équité, l'efficacité et la réactivité du système de santé. Cette analyse identifie certains facteurs affectant la performance, y compris les caractéristiques du marché de l'assurance privée, la régulation et le cadre financier, l'organisation du système de santé, ainsi que les incitations et le comportement des différents acteurs. L'AMP joue un rôle important en Irlande. Le système de santé offre des services de santé complets financés par des fonds publics aux groupes à bas revenus ainsi qu’une couverture universelle de frais d’hospitalisation. Les politiques de la santé ont encouragé le développement de l'AMP afin d’assurer à tous les individus une alternative au système public ainsi qu’un moyen pour financier le ticket modérateur et les services qui ne sont pas couverts par le système public ...

JEL-codes: I11 I18 I19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2004-02-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-ias
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (17)

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