Sir, – Perhaps, instead of penalising new-to-the-market but older purchasers of private health insurance to compensate for the lack of younger people entering the market, Mr Reilly should remove the €399 levy/tax the Government has placed on all private health insurance premiums.
Excessive cost is one of the reasons why the private health insurance industry is failing to attract younger members whose earnings have fallen substantially over the recent years.
Also, for an older person not to get private health insurance it is hard not to think of a better reason than the knowledge that you are to be penalised for no other reason than that you are an older person.
I had thought that discrimination on age grounds was forbidden under the law. Yours, etc,
DAVID DORAN,
Ashfield Royal,
Oak Road,
Bagenalstown,
Co Carlow