Minister for Health Leo Varadkar expects to have an estimate of the cost of universal health insurance (UHI) in April.

He said the Department of Health was working with the ESRI and the Health Insurance Authority on a major costing exercise to establish costings for the Government’s plan to roll out universal health insurance.

The analysis will look at “alternative systems of financing” and will estimate the cost of insurance for individuals, households, employers and the exchequer.

“I expect to have the initial results from this exercise in April, following which I will revert to the Government with a roadmap on the next steps to UHI,” the Minister told Sinn Féin health spokesman Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin.

Mr Ó Caoláin had pointed to the report of the World Health Organisation (WHO) which raised concerns about the Government's plans for insurance for all and highlighted examples across Europe where insurer competition proved ineffective in improving efficiency and controlling costs.

No magic prescription

Mr Varadkar said his department had provided information and observations on an early draft of the report. “The work of the WHO and others points to the fact that there is no magic prescription for all countries when it comes to health service reform,” he added.

But Mr Ó Caoláin said the WHO confirmed that “there is no evidence of any country in which a competitive insurance system has kept costs under control”.

Mr Varadkar said Ireland’s health system was the best example of keeping costs down. “We spend €1.5 billion less than we did seven years ago and more patients are seen.”