Health service going the way of US
Dear sir - I am writing to express my outrage at the recent premium hike by the VHI once again. Our health service is going down the same road as the USA where the average person will have to take on a massive insurance premium, to be guaranteed a basic health service. At the moment both young families and the elderly have to borrow to pay for the current service which is over administrated and suffering from cutbacks across all departments. I have a family of five young children, a total of seven of us and face a premium increase of up to €500 per annum. This is unsustainable and as a matter of principle we have decided to cancel our VHI cover with immediate effect and to fall back on the public health service as good or bad as it is. I would ask that everyone who feels the same do likewise and to make sure that our health service does not follow the American system. We are all entitled to a decent and efficient health service and it is in our power to force such a system to be established by not supporting the current system of private health care and private hospital building programme and by all of us turning to the public system to force change before it is too late. My partner and I have taken this step now. Yours, Declan Kettle, Canterbrook, Trim Rd, Navan.