Health Insurance Act, 2001 (Open Enrolment) Regulations, 2005

• Jurisdiction: Ireland
• Citation: IR SI 332/2005
• Year: 2005

STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS

S.I. No. 332 of 2005

HEALTH INSURANCE ACT, 2001 (OPEN ENROLMENT) REGULATIONS, 2005

S.I. No 332 of 2005

HEALTH INSURANCE ACT, 2001 (OPEN ENROLMENT) REGULATIONS, 2005

I, Mary Harney, Minister for Health and Children, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 3 of the Health Insurance Act, 1994 ( No. 16 of 1994 ) (as amended by section 13 of the Health Insurance (Amendment) Act, 2001 ( No. 17 of 2001 )), section 4 of the Health Insurance Act, 1994 and section 8 of the Health Insurance Act, 1994 ( No. 16 of 1994 ) (as substituted by section 8 of the Health Insurance (Amendment) Act, 2001 ( No. 17 of 2001 )), hereby make the following regulations-

PART I GENERAL 1. These Regulations may be cited as the Health Insurance Act, 2001 (Open Enrolment Regulations, 2005. 2. These Regulations shall come into operation on the 1st day of July, 2005. 3. In these Regulations-

“insured person” means a person named in a health insurance contract as an insured person or an infant born to a person named in a health insurance contract as an insured person provided that in the case of an infant the person who effected the health insurance contract requests that the health insurance contract be altered to name such infant as an insured person, and pays the appropriate premium in respect of such infant, within 13 weeks of the date of birth of the infant. 4. The age of a person for the purposes of these Regulations is the age attained at the contract start date.

PART II ENTRY 5. For the purposes of section 8(1) of the Health Insurance Act, 1994 , a restricted membership undertaking shall not refuse to effect a health insurance contract, with or for a person of whatever age or such a person and his or her dependants except where such person is not qualified for membership of the undertaking.

PART III MAXIMUM WAITING PERIODS 6. (1) The maximum waiting period for eligibility for payment under a health insurance contract which a registered undertaking may impose in respect of an insured person shall be-

(i) 26 weeks, in respect of a person who is under the age of 55 years provided that no maternity benefit shall be payable for the period of 52 weeks next following a person being named as an insured person;

(ii) 52 weeks, in respect of a person who is of or over the age of 55 years and under the age of 65 years;

(iii) 104 weeks, in respect of a person who is of or over the age of 65 years.

(2) An infant shall be eligible to receive payments under a health insurance contract immediately from his or her date of...