Andrew Boylan
Question:23 Mr. Boylan asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason income limits for medi cal card entitlement are set at their current level. [28784/00]
Written Answers. - Medical Cards.
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. 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 or her medical needs or other circumstances would justify this. Medical cards may also be awarded to individual family members on this basis.
The Government identified in its programme An Action Programme for the Millennium the need to review medical card eligibility for the elderly and large families and decided that the income guidelines for entitlement to medical cards for a person aged 70 years or over should be doubled. This improvement which was to be introduced over a three year period began on 1 March 1999. The income guidelines for those aged 70 to 79 and 80 years and over, which are already higher than the normal guidelines increased by one-third in 1999. The second stage of this process was implemented on 1 March 2000 and it was intended that the third stage would be implemented in March 2001. However, this has been overtaken by the announcement in the budget yesterday that all persons aged 70 or over will be entitled to a medical card.
As the Deputy may be aware, the health board chief executive officers are undertaking a review of the medical card scheme that involves consultation with the social partners in keeping with a commitment made under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. I understand that the chief executive officers will be taking account of the review to date when revising the income guidelines next January. Particular emphasis is being placed on the needs of families with children, and on removing anomalies and barriers to take-up, including information deficits.