Sir, - In two references to the private health insurance industry (The Irish Times, February 3rd and 5th), it was made clear once again that no one over the age of 65 need apply for membership of BUPA (Ireland) or VHI.
It is illegal to discriminate against anyone on the grounds of race, sex, colour, religion or disability. But, despite a European Parliament ruling which seeks to outlaw age discrimination, the health insurance industry can still, apparently, treat the Irish over-65s as second-class citizens or a race apart.
Now, to compound the situation, Mr Bertie Ahern has presented to Dr Margaret Downes, in her capacity as chairman of BUPA, the "Excellence Ireland" award. Dr Downes is also chairman of Gallaghers tobacco company, as any health-conscious citizen will know.
For some reason, the health insurers seem to entertain a paranoid belief that there is a vast army of over 65-year-olds waving cheque books and eager to overrun their companies to use up all their financial resources.
As the Taoiseach appears to support this anomaly, all I can suggest for the moment to the serried ranks of thwarted "late joiners" is that they will have to attribute their misfortune to bad karma. They were re-born too soon and will have to put up with the public health service, God held them.
On the other hand, I urge all 64-and-a-half-year-olds to get into BUPA and VHI now while you are, for some unaccountable reason, still acceptable. - Yours, etc., William Heap,
Lauragh, Killarney, Co Kerry.