Vol. 500 No. 4
268 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will review and alter the income guidelines governing medical card applications which calculates the carer's allowance as income and debars persons who previously held a card from the scheme. [4338/99]
Entitlement to health services in Ireland is primarily based on means. Under the Health Act, 1970, determination of eligibility for medical cards is the responsibility of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board. Income guidelines are drawn up by the chief executive officers to assist in the determination of a person's eligibility and are revised annually in line with the consumer price index. A number of income sources are specifically excluded when assessing an applicant's income. These include the carer's allowance, domiciliary care allowance, mobility allowance, foster care allowance, back to work allowance and weekly payments under the community employment programme.
