Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 15 Jun 1999

Vol. 506 No. 2

Written Answers. - Drug Payment Scheme.

John Gormley

Question:

244 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the extreme difficulty caused by the new drug payment scheme; if people are now confined to one chemist where previously they could choose from chemists for their scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15012/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The position is that, with effect from 1 July 1999 the existing drugs cost subsidisation and drug refund schemes will be merged into one new drug payment scheme, with a threshold of £42 per month per family unit. Where expenditure by a family or an individual exceeds £42 per month on approved medicines, the balance will be met by the State.

The primary aim of the new drug payment scheme is to bring about important improvements in the existing schemes. The new scheme will effectively merge the best elements of the two existing schemes and is designed to significantly improve the cash flow situation for families and individuals incurring ongoing expenditure on medicines.

The new drug payment scheme is for everyone. To qualify under the old drugs cost subsidisation scheme, patients had to be certified by their doctor as suffering from a condition requiring ongoing expenditure on medicines in excess of £32 per month. There are no qualifying criteria for the new scheme.

Under the drug refund scheme, families and individuals pay the full cost of their prescription medicines and may, at the end of the quarter, claim reimbursement from their health board of expenditure over £90 in that calendar quarter. Many families and individuals have very heavy expenditure on drugs and medicines in a quarter and have to wait a further six weeks from the end of the quarter before they receive a refund. This can cause considerable cash flow problems for a significant number of families and individuals. From the introduction of the new scheme, no individual or family will have to pay more than £42 per month for prescribed medicines. It means that families and individuals will, for the first time, be able to budget for the cost of medicines. Families and individuals will know that, whatever the size of their drugs bill, they will not have to pay more than £42 per month.

The IT system for the scheme will provide a swipe card which will enable individuals or members of the same family to use different pharmacies within a month. Pending the full introduction of the IT system for the new scheme in pharmacies, it is recommended that users of the scheme purchase all their prescribed medication in the same community pharmacy each calendar month. If they so wish, a different community pharmacy can be used the following month. In the initial stages, in the event that an individual or family member has occasion to use another community pharmacy in the same month, and the total expenditure exceeds £42 he-she should retain their receipts for submission to the relevant health board which will reimburse the balance of the expenditure.

I might add that persons currently availing of the drugs cost subsidisation scheme must use the same pharmacy in any month.