Tits.

Oh well.

It’s just as well Hibernian insures my sorry ass, it might come in handy when the lynch mob forms.

The issue that most people miss here is not that the levy is unfair on young families, (it is), or that older people have to pay over the odds for their private health insurance, (they shouldn’t), but that private health insurance shouldn’t be necessary in the first place.

A large percentage of our taxes go to the Health Service. Given the amounts of money we’ve invested, there is no reason that we should not have a first class service available to everyone, regardless of age or financial ability.

I for one think that the levy should be scrapped and the money that we already pay should be put to proper use.

While I believe the principle is sound, the implementation is completely wrong. It is funded solely by people who have private insurance instead of all Irish tax payers.

Also, as you mentioned it should be based on ability to pay. At a fixed rate it is deeply inequitable. Somebody on the most basic “public hospital only” scheme pays the same €160 as somebody on the more expensive top notch, gold circle scheme (where you actually stay in your surgeoun’s guest bedroom and post-operative care consists of 2 weeks in the Bahamas). Instead it should be calculated as a percentage of your policy cost – then those who can afford more expensive policies will contribute more to the scheme.

You’re listing number one under a blog search for Hibernian Aviva Health.

Their levy campaign is a cheap publicity stunt reminiscent of the Axe the Tax campaign in the 1980s. It’s a faux consumer power campaign, cheap advertising for a profit making company.

What I should’ve said, is this:

My wording appears very selfish to my condition, to the extent that I might seem ageist, I’m not. I know I’ll be getting old. I’m against the way the problem has been handled.

This levy should be means tested on both sides of the fence, shouldn’t it?

I mean does it seem fair that a young couple with a child suddenly find themselves unemployed with large hikes in health insurance when they need it most? If they cancel their plan, then try to take out a policy again in the future, they’re screwed. What if their heartache meant that their levy went to some retired C.E.O. of a huge company who owns two villas and a VIP seat at all Liverpool matches?

The levy should apply to those who can afford it, and should only be given to those who really need it. Unfortunately I don’t think it’s going that way.

I need to study this a bit more, I’m painfully uninformed.

I wouldn’t dream of penalising them or any other sector of the community, but the levy is so high, it seems unbalanced.

This increase is going to hurt those in lower paid jobs, especially with young families… I don’t see why the government would want them to be pushed towards an overfilled public health system?

My point is that this is a huge hike… for me anyway, 2 x Adults, 2 x children is €426 -that really hurts right now!