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Classics of Bertie
Read more about: Europe, Government, Health
Bertie’s post-EU summit outburst about BUPA leaving the Irish market is vintage stuff and deserves to be noted for the record. And there was one other little bit of summit business with electoral implications.
First, BUPA. Here’s Bertie, as reported by Ireland.com:
The Taoiseach said the situation in Ireland was in “marked contrast” to countries such as Britain and the United States where risk-rated health insurance products “result in older people no longer being able to afford to maintain their insurance cover”.
Mr. Ahern said the State was being asked by British insurer BUPA that “people who are all well and healthy can pay cheap insurance,” while old people “get screwed” and they make “greater profits”.
“They are not going to do that,” he said. The Taoiseach denied he was “acting tough” on the issue.
“If insurance is all about going out and getting a hundred people who are likely to get sick for the next ten years, so you’ll make greater profits, sure that’s great, that’s marvellous. I’m meant to feel impressed with that argument?”
“And then you get a hundred people who, like myself, are half crocked and then we have to pay far more for it. And you say that’s fair? Market forces, competition? Who are they codding?”
To the extent that any pub chat this evening comes around to discussing the issues, Bertie’s analysis is going to play quite well, although it confuses two separate issues: the requirement that everyone pay the same for health insurance regardless of age—with which BUPA was happily complying—and the requirement for after-the-fact equalisation payments based on the distribution of age risks between insurance companies. On the latter, BUPA was getting stuck with the overhang from entering a market that was previously a monopoly. Perhaps Sean Barrett—quoted later in the ireland.com piece—will be holding forth on this in Doheny and Nesbitt’s tonight.
In addition, the summit seems to have somewhat surprisingly resurrected the EU Constitution, on which the government has always kept its powder dry. Since it sounds like there could a renewed push at ratification under the German presidency next year, the political parties will be legitimately expected to have positions on it.
It sounds like Bertie doesn’t really understand the issues himself.
“If insurance is all about going out and getting 100 people who are likely to get sick for the next 10 years, so you’ll make greater profits, sure that’s great, that’s marvellous. I’m meant to feel impressed with that argument?”
Surely that should be people who aren’t sick? Of course he knows what he’s on about, but he plays it best when he plays it thick.
Surely that should be people who aren’t sick? Of course he knows what he’s on about, but he plays it best when he plays it thick. Could of course be a typo on the irish times part
What a pity that Dermot Morgan & “Scrap Saturday” is no longer with us.
De Bert has matured into a perfect stereotype, a worthy successor to Charlie & PJ - minus the Charvet shirts, but no shortage of mistresses.
Can anyone rationally explain his obsession with “Profit”?
He claims to be an accountant, yet his regular stutterances fly in the face of all sound accounting principles:-
Efficient use of resources;
Cost control;
Transparency;
Accountability;
Honesty etc…
Yet, he seems to find “Profit” a dirty word.
His rantings against Willie Walsh; Gama Construction; BUPA etc. remind one of Senator Joe McCarthy in his witch-hunts against communists in the 1950s.
Willie Walsh, according to De Bert, was motivated by personal enrichment. Gama, by wanting to control labour costs, BUPA - well, we all heard his bleating today.
Perhaps he should seek psychiatric help? Maybe there was some trauma in his childhood?
Perhaps he was thrown out of his childhood bedroom & saw it rented to a lodger for ….. profit?
Who can tell the working of a demented mind.
But then, Fianna Fail politicians are in the way of getting “interest free loans” with no expectation of repayment (unless some noseyparker finds out).
Why be concerned about the sources of one’s income if one does not have to earn it?
As long as private sector taxpayers pay your bloated wages; your motor car & 24 hour driver; Gulf Stream jet for your junkets abroad with your mistresses; best seats for your favourite game; cash for your favourite imported English Bass - Why concern yourself with the source of such bounty?
Begg; O’Connor; Halpenny & CORI will vote you massive benchmark increases annually; Cowen will ride to orders & keep the pot topped up with Stamp Duty; VRT; VAT: Customs & Excise duties.
And, of course, there are the developers; builders; grateful entrepreneurs that fill your tent at the Galway Races annually.
In fact, hardly any change since the heady days of corruption at Abbeville, where Don Charleone ruled his mafia empire and private police force.
But no Charvet shirts or Coq Hardi - but the haircuts, at €400 a week, must seem like a SNIP!
They got the quote right in Saturday’s paper:
“What we were being asked by Bupa - and let’s not put a tooth in this - was that people who are all well and healthy can pay cheap insurance while the old people then get screwed. I am not going to do that while they get greater profits,” he said. “I’ll look after the people who need looking after. If insurance is all about going out and getting a 100 people who are unlikely to get sick for the next 10 years so they make greater profits, that’s great, that’s marvellous.
“And I am meant to be impressed by that argument? And then you get 100 people who are like myself and half-crocked and we have to pay far more for it. That’s fair? Market forces? Competition? Who are they codding,”
Again Bertie is confusing 2 separate issues - Risk Equalisation payments by BUPA to VHI, and Community-Rating i.e. being charged the same regardless of age. I don’t believe the public are so confused however.
The odd thing is that Bertie personalised it to the extent that he feels he personally shouldn’t be paying more. I wonder who Bertie is insured by?
BERTIE IS INSURED (INSULATED) BY LOANS FROM “FRIENDS”??