Vol. 556 No. 4
184 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans to reduce the qualifying age for the medical card to 65 years, as requested by the Irish Senior Citizens' Parliament; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20768/02]
Entitlement to health services in Ireland is primarily based on means. Under the Health Act, 1970, the determination of eligibility for medical cards is the responsibility of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board other than for persons aged 70 years and over, who are automatically eligible for a medical card. 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. It is open to all persons to apply to the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board if they are unable to provide health services for themselves or their dependants without hardship.
The issue of eligibility was considered in the context of the National Health Strategy, Quality and Fairness. In the strategy, the Government signalled its intention to extend medical card coverage with a focus on people with low incomes and families with children, particularly those with a disability. Any extension of medical card coverage would be decided by Government in the context of the prevailing budgetary situation and other competing priorities for public investment in health and other sectors.
