The drug payment scheme, with a threshold of £42 per month per individual or family, was introduced on 1 July 1999 and replaced the drug cost subsidisation scheme and drug refund scheme. The primary aim of the scheme is to bring about important improvements over the previous schemes and the scheme is designed to be more streamlined, user friendly and to significantly improve the cash flow situation for families and individuals incurring ongoing expenditure on medicines.
A common list of reimbursable items was introduced for the general medical services scheme and the drug payment scheme to ensure equity in relation to the products reimbursed by the State under both schemes. This common list is subject to ongoing review and amendment as new products become available and additions and deletions are notified on a monthly basis. The list of reimbursable food items to which persons registered under the drug payment scheme are entitled is in line with those items available to medical card holders and includes breads, bread mixes, flours and pizza bases. It is considered that the range of such items available under State reimbursement schemes provides a reasonable choice and persons requiring items which are not reimbursable would be expected to meet the full cost of such items.
In 1998, the total cost of claims reimbursed in respect of coeliac foods under the drug cost subsidisation scheme was £192,563, of which £102,588 was in respect of foods which are on the common list of reimbursable items. Of the £89,975 reimbursed for coeliac foods which are now no longer reimbursable, over £42,500 was in respect of cakes and biscuits.