asked the Minister for Health if students between the ages of 16 and 25 years who are dependants of persons who do not have full eligibility for these services and are in part-time employment are included for removal from the general medical service scheme.
Written Answers. - General Medical Services.
92.
Students who are dependants of persons who do not have full eligibility for health services no longer have automatic entitlement to medical cards. This obtains whether the students are in part-time employment or not. In any individual case the decision on eligibility for a medical card will be taken with due regard to all the relevant circumstances of that case.
93.
asked the Minister for Health if he will make a statement on his decision to remove persons between the ages of 16 and 25 years whose parents are not eligible from the general medical services scheme.
Medical cards are issued to persons with full eligibility for health services. These persons are defined in section 45 (1) of the Health Act, 1970, as adult persons who are unable without undue hardship to arrange general practitioner medical and surgical services for themselves and their dependants, together with dependants of such persons. The criterion for issue of a medical card is hardship in paying for general practitioner services.
Up to 1 January 1984 students and other members of a family who were aged 16 years or over have had their entitlement to medical cards determined on the basis of their own means and without reference to their parents' financial circumstances. In effect, this meant that the great majority of students aged 16 years or over have been eligible for medical cards, even though many of them belonged to families in the middle or upper income groups.
With effect from 1 January 1984 this situation was changed by regulations to provide that students and other persons between the ages of 16 and 25, who are dependants of their parents and whose parents are not eligible for medical cards, will not retain automatic entitlement to medical cards. These persons will retain their eligibility for free hospital services, both in-patient and out-patient, including the services of hospital consultants. The regulations have provided that in the event of hardship arising the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board is empowered to make available the required service without charge. The regulations do not apply to persons who are in receipt of disabled persons maintenance allowance or to persons who are entitled to health services under EEC regulations.
Health boards are arranging to write to all persons aged between 16 years and 25 years who are holders of medical cards informing them of the change and of the arrangements which are being made to give effect to the provisions of the regulations.
98.
asked the Minister for Health the amount he expects to save by the withdrawal of medical services from persons, between the ages of 16 and 25 years, who are dependants of persons who do not have full eligibility for these services; and how this figure is calculated.
The estimated saving in a full year from the withdrawal of general medical services from persons between the ages of 16 and 25 years as provided for in the Health Services (No. 3) Regulations, 1983, is £2.5 million.
This estimate is based on an expected reduction of some 85,000 in the number of persons eligible at an average cost of £30 per person for services during 1984.