7th February 2010
Press release: Socialist Party
Husband of Susie Long criticises Fine Gael's James Reilly for invoking her name in defence of their flawed health insurance policy
Conor MacLiam, Socialist Party/ULA candidate in Carlow Kilkenny advocates universal one tier public healthcare system over Fine Gael's privatisation agenda
Responding to the debate between Fine Gael's health spokesperson James Reilly and Barry Andrews of Fianna Fail this morning Socialist Party/United Left Alliance candidate for Carlow Kilkenny and husband of Susie Long, Conor MacLiam said:
"The statement by Barry Andrews that the current public/private mix that exists in the healthcare system in this country has served us well is offensive and idiotic beyond words.
"Clearly there is an ineffective bureaucratic apparatus at the top of the HSE. However, while I and the Socialist Party argue for an democratic accountable single tier public healthcare system funded by progressive taxation and free at the point of use, the effective elimination of for-profit private healthcare, Fine Gael propose the opposite by advocating a compulsory private health insurance which would amount to a new stealth tax burden on working people.
"James Reilly's invoking the name of Susie in defence of Fine Gael's policy is disingenuous. With their policy I foresee further state subsidies for for-profit health companies and an obscene waste of money being swallowed up by advertising and competitive marketing between for-profit outfits not to mention the profit itself. All of this should instead be going directly into healthcare.
"On top of this Fine Gael boast of the thousands of lower paid administrators who they will be able to sack from the HSE. This all amounts to the privatisation of healthcare pure and simple. We will soon have ready a critique of the Dutch system upon which the Fine Gael policy claims to be based."
Ends