General Election 2020 Hub

Sara Burke. I read her book 10 years ago.

Mairia Cahill on Radio 1 now.

She has a face for the television.

Where is she now . She was a regular for a long spell on media but haven’t seen her a while .

On RTE Radio 1.

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I mean Sara Burke

:grin:

I don’t know.

She is at Trinity College as a Research Assistant Professor based on a quick google

She’s in Beaumount hospital on a trolley, waiting for a bed. Been there since 2016.

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Yeah maybe, I’d imagine step-down beds are a lot cheaper to run per year and your point about the profitability of private patients definitely has something to it. We currently spend as a country circa €3 billion per year on health insurance. Assuming something like 95% of that actually is spent on health I’d imagine a large chunk goes into the public health system. Say it’s €2 billion - that’s a pretty big hole to be filled by anyone suggesting a totally public system.

Bertie also linked it to the IRA which wouldn’t have worked for them.

How much does the state pay to private health per annum under the National Treatment Purchase Fund etc.?

Good question - I’ve no idea but I’d say it’s a decent whack.

It’s the wrong question though in my mind - the proper question is, comparing apples with apples, how much does a procedure cost if being done in a public hospital vs the cost to do it in the private hospital (or other public hospitals). If those figures were published anywhere they could be very interesting.

Googled it - National Treatment Purchase Fund is €75m per year or similar.

The whole system needs to be looked at. Essentially the HSE had previously viewed the private health insurers as another funding piece to the acute hospitals. They are kicking back now in terms of claims and it’s causing big problems for the model.

The thing about health is - the money is there. It has always been there bar austerity period so why the fuck can’t shit be sorted!

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Would it depend on the nature of procedure or treatment?

Another thing - it really annoys me when politicians jump on the health thing in terms of rural hospitals. That model is dying. Some Labour lad running in Mayo on the basis of Castlebar hospital needing investment! It’s not a bad hospital at all and Galway is only down the road.

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No idea

SF are living rent free inside the head of FG.

THERE IS AN APOCRYPHAL QUOTE THAT IS OFTEN ATTRIBUTED TO THE LATE US PRESIDENT LYNDON JOHNSON ABOUT THE VAGARIES OF ELECTIONS. AFTER LOSING A PARTICULARLY BITTERLY-FOUGHT ELECTION, HE IS REPUTED TO HAVE SAID: “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN, THE BASTARDS.”

Harry McGee final seat prediction:

  • Fianna Fáil: 53
  • Fine Gael: 38
  • Sinn Féin: 28
  • Labour Party: 8
  • Green Party: 14
  • Social Democrats: 3
  • Sol-PBP: 2
  • Others: 14
  • NOTE: 80 seats required to form a government