There are no statutory hospital in-patient waiting charges. Entitlement to health services in Ireland is primarily based on residency and means, and there are two categories of eligibility. Persons in category 1 are medical card holders and they are entitled to a full range of public health services free of charge. Persons in category 2 – non-medical card holders – have limited eligibility for health services, including an entitlement to public hospital and public consultant treatment subject only to modest statutory charges.
Persons in category 1, medical card holders, are entitled to a full range of services including general practitioner services, prescribed drugs and medicines, all in-patient public hospital services in public wards including consultants' services, all out-patient public hospital services including consultants services, dental, ophthalmic and aural services and appliances and a maternity and infant care service.
Under the Health Act, 1970, determination of eligibility for medical cards is the responsibility of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board. Medical cards are issued to persons who, in the opinion of the chief executive officer, are unable to provide general practitioner medical and surgical services for themselves and their dependants without undue hardship.
Income guidelines are drawn up to assist in the determination of a person's eligibility and these are revised annually in line with the consumer price index. However, the guidelines are not statutorily binding and even though a person's income exceeds the guidelines, a medical card may still be awarded if the chief executive officer considers that his-her medical needs or other circumstances would justify this.