The IMPACT trade union has warned the Health Minister that Government plans to introduce universal health insurance could become expensive failures if lessons from abroad are ignored.
IMPACT National Secretary Louise O'Donnell has said that the Dutch model had now resulted in a ''three-tier system''.
She said that the system has left half a million people uninsured or defaulting on insurance payments.
Speaking at a conference in Dublin on the future of the health system, she said universal health insurance had increased bureaucracy.
The Minister for Health has insisted that he is not trying to privatise the health service with the introduction of universal health insurance.
James Reilly said that no one country would serve as the model for universal health insurance here and said that what is designed will fit Ireland's needs.
A system of universal health insurance has been promised by the Government by 2016.
The Government plan is that everyone will have health cover for a range of standard services and there will be one waiting list and no queue jumping.
For those who cannot afford insurance, the State will cover some, or all of the cost.
The exact model of how universal health insurance will work will become clearer in a Government White Paper due to be produced later this year.
