THE HEALTH Service Executive has begun reducing the budgets of public hospitals in anticipation that they will receive millions of euro in additional payments from private patients under controversial new Government measures to be introduced later in the year.
The Government announced late last year that it was to introduce legislation to make health insurance companies pay for all subscribers treated in public hospitals regardless of whether they used beds specifically designated for fee-paying patients.
The VHI said this move could lead to price increases of up to 50 per cent. (Times) >
