Investing in Ireland

Healthcare

The healthcare system in Ireland is considered to be a comprehensive system with a public health service funded by the government and an expanding private health care service. Individuals who are resident in Ireland for at least one year are entitled to receive health care through the public healthcare system managed by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Public Health Service

Government spend on healthcare in Ireland was €23.8 billion in 2019, which increased by €2.6 billion (11%) in 2020 mostly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The public healthcare system is heavily funded by the Irish Government, with the deficit paid through voluntary health care payments and household spending. A large proportion of expenditure goes towards hospitals and ambulatory health care providers, of which curative and rehabilitative care and long-term care receive the largest financial support.

Although the public healthcare system is largely financed by the State funding, individuals may be required to pay fees for certain health care services such as attending an accident and emergency department without a referral. To enable people who otherwise cannot afford to pay for healthcare treatment, a Medical Card system was introduced. This Card entitles individuals to access a range of health services free of charge. The number of individuals entitled to a Medical Card has increased in recent years irrespective of the age of applicants. A subsequent system in place is the GP Visit Card scheme which allows individuals and families to visit their GP for free. Another system in place, which residents may apply for, is the Drugs Payment Scheme, which caps the amount that an individual or family has to pay per month for approved prescribed medication at €124.

The majority of hospitals in Ireland are operated directly by the HSE, however many are run under a voluntary basis by public funding, as a teaching hospital, in conjunction with a religious ethos or as private hospitals.

There are seven public hospital groups which are as follows:

• Ireland East Hospital Group;
• Dublin Midlands Hospital Group;
• RCSI Hospital Group;
• University Limerick Hospital Group;
• South/South West Hospital Group;
• Saolta University Healthcare Group;
• Children Health Ireland

There are also 18 private hospitals in Ireland including The Beacon Hospital, The Hermitage, Bon Secours Private Hospital, St. Vincent’s Private Hospital, The Blackrock Clinic and The Mater Private.

Private Health Insurance

All private health insurance providers in Ireland are registered with the Health Insurance Authority (HIA), the country’s independent regulator for private health insurance.

Health insurance providers that offer inpatient hospital services must provide a minimum level of benefits which include: Day care/in-patient treatment, Hospital out-patient treatment, Maternity benefits, Convalescence, Psychiatric treatment, the minimum accommodation level is semi-private in a public hospital.

Although treatments may be privately funded, treatment might be received at a public hospital as those hospitals provide a number of private or semi-private beds to boost their income.

Health insurance companies must provide each policy holder with lifetime cover. In short, this means that they cannot refuse to provide you cover. They must also accept anyone who wishes to join regardless of their age, sex or health status, but holders will be subject to waiting periods before the cover takes effect. New customer waiting periods for pre-existing conditions can be a maximum of 5 years, however, if the holder has already served this time with another insurer then they do not need to do so again when transferring to another provider.

Health Insurance abroad is not taken into account for the purposes of waiting periods. However, a health insurer may waive the waiting period at their discretion, because the law imposes a maximum on waiting periods that an insurer may require, but no minimum. Some insurers routinely waive waiting periods if you have previously held health insurance in Ireland or if you were covered by certain types of health insurance while abroad.