Health Minister Leo Varadkar is planning to revive controversial plans for a mandatory health insurance scheme for everyone by the summer, it can be revealed.

Writing in today's Irish Independent, Mr Varadkar sets out his major policy agenda for 2015, which includes a radical plan to slash the numbers of beds being "held up" by people who have not been discharged.

But also on his agenda is a plan to bring a "revised roadmap" for universal health insurance (UHI) to Government for approval by the summer recess.

On taking office last July, Mr Varadkar's first major announcement was to declare that the 2019 date for introduction of UHI was "too ambitious".

Politically, Mr Varadkar was seen to be dumping the plan, which had been championed by his predecessor, Dr James Reilly.

Government figures had suggested that the average cost of a UHI policy would be €1,600 per person a year.

"By the middle of the year, I hope to secure Government agreement on a revised roadmap to universal health insurance," Mr Varadkar writes.

It is known that Mr Varadkar's swift dumping of UHI last summer caused some anger within Taoiseach Enda Kenny's circle of advisers and it is understood that his movement on the matter is seen to be addressing that anger.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has been charged by Mr Varadkar with delivering a firm set of costings on how much various "baskets", or health insurance, packages will cost. That report is to be with Mr Varadkar by Easter.

But today, Mr Varadkar is to outline specific details of how he intends to reduce the number of people remaining in hospital when they really should be discharged.

It is understood that Mr Varadkar is aiming to reduce the number of blocked beds from 750 to 500 by the end of the year.

"I want to improve outcomes for patients, so there will be a new focus on reducing the number of beds being held up in hospitals because their occupants have not been discharged," Mr Varadkar writes.

"This, in turn, will reduce the number of people on trolleys at any one time, and should also reduce waiting times for surgery and other treatments."

He added: "There will be a strong focus on the people waiting the longest for appointments, operations, scopes and scans. I hope to get these moving in the right direction again by the summer."

However, Mr Varadkar admits that because of the limited resources available and rising demand because of our ageing population, "it's going to be difficult to hit some waiting list targets in 2015".

Mr Varadkar is committed to "extending GP services without fees to all under sixes and GP services without fees to the over 70s" this year.

"Subject to agreement of GPs, about half of the population will be able to attend their GP without fees, including the youngest and oldest in our society," Mr Varadkar writes.

Mr Varadkar also insists that Ireland's health service is not "third world". He said such descriptions are because there is a "confidence problem" in the minds of the public.

Irish Independent