Sláintecare Funding Concerns: Voluntary Hospitals Face Millions in Lost Private Income
Politicians are concerned about funding issues as insurers withhold payments for private patients in public hospitals, an unintended Sláintecare consequence. Voluntary hospitals face losing millions in private income, impacting their ability to fund services, research, and attract professionals. This could ultimately degrade care quality and responsiveness.
Politicians on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have expressed concern over potential funding issues as insurance companies withhold payments for private patients treated in public hospitals. This situation, highlighted in Martin Wall’s June 22nd article, suggests an unintended consequence of Sláintecare: the loss of hundreds of millions of euro that voluntary hospitals previously raised from private activities.
Voluntary hospitals, which receive 70-80% of their funding from the State, are expected to self-fund the remainder. Maternity hospitals, lacking private care alternatives, face a double impact: losing income while retaining activity and costs. This private income was crucial for quick responses to urgent issues like the Covid pandemic and cyberattacks, and for developing services, setting national standards, funding research, and attracting top healthcare professionals. Most national centers of excellence are located in voluntary hospitals.
While Sláintecare aims for equality of care, the gradual loss of funding and independence for voluntary hospitals could lead to poorer quality care, difficulty attracting world-class professionals, and a reduced ability to respond to patient needs and improve services. Sam Coulter-Smith, former master of the Rotunda, questions if this outcome is truly desired.