Ireland's second-largest private health insurer, Laya Healthcare, has urged the Government to introduce financial incentives for companies to support the health and wellbeing of their employees.
Laya suggests grants or tax breaks to support heart screening and diabetes and blood-pressure testing in the workplace, as well as occupational-health initiatives. There could also be programmes on diet, fitness and mental health, it says.
In a submission to the Government-appointed committee examining the implications of proposals to eliminate private medicine in public hospitals, Laya says that although such incentives would cost money, the benefits for employers, employees and the State "have the potential to render this initiative economically viable" and help with healthcare reforms as laid out in the Sláintecare report.
“Early prevention and intervention can have a significant impact on keeping our populations healthier for longer, and thereby ease the burden on acute hospital care in the long term,” it said.
Laya, which has about 580,000 subscribers, says it shares the goal set out in the Sláintecare report of creating a fair and equitable model of healthcare that drives greater efficiencies and better outcomes.
Delivering appropriate healthcare solutions in the most appropriate healthcare settings is a key component of a sustainable healthcare system, it says.
