BUPA Ireland is continuing to lobby for the dismantling of monopolies and the abandonment of risk equalisation in the health insurance sector.

In a recent speech, BUPA Ireland managing director, Mr Martin O'Rourke, said the recent White Paper on health insurance did not allow competition and was just "another crisis in the making".

"Competition in the health area will require the dismantling of state hegemony over the supply and prices of beds and not just charging tax-payers more for facilities they have already financed.

"Competition requires a regulatory structure that facilitates rivalry amongst suppliers and innovation and added value for consumers. Power must be switched away from suppliers to buyers and insurers must be allowed to satisfy consumers' preferences," he said.