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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 4 Mar 2003

Vol. 562 No. 4

Written Answers - Medical Cards.

Jan O'Sullivan

Question:

344 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health and Children if medical card patients who are moved from acute care to residential respite care in a health board institution are entitled to their respite care free of charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6449/03]

I presume the Deputy is referring to convalescent care following in-patient treatment in a public hospital. Charges for care in a health board institution are made under the Health (Charges for In-Patient Services) Regulations 1976, as amended by the Health (Charges for In-Patient Services) (Amendment) Regulations 1987. These regulations enable charges to be made towards the cost of providing hospital in-patient services for persons with income who have been in receipt of such services for more than 30 days or for periods totalling more than 30 days within the previous 12 months.

Section 51 of the Health Act 1970 provides that in-patient services also includes care provided in a convalescent home. In deciding the amount to be contributed, health boards have regard to the person's individual circumstances. Allowance is made for any financial commitments the person may have and a reasonable amount is left to meet the person's personal needs. Charges may be waived if, in the opinion of the chief executive officer of the relevant health board, payment would cause undue hardship. Medical card holders and persons with dependants are exempt from these charges.

Jan O'Sullivan

Question:

345 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health and Children if persons who move from community employment on jobs initiative schemes to full-time employment have the right to keep their medical cards for a specific period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6450/03]

As part of the budget in 1996 the then Government announced that "persons who have been unemployed for at least one year shall retain their medical cards after entering employment." Persons on the live register for at least one year, who take up paid insurable employment, were deemed to meet the criteria for retaining their medical cards for three years. The provision also covers participants on approved schemes applicable to the long-term unemployed, including back to work allowance, community employment, jobstart, job initiative, partnership and community group initiative and development courses such as workplace and vocational training opportunities scheme. The purpose of the budget provision was to remove disincentives to labour force participation by long-term unemployed persons.

The retention of medical card eligibility is approved for a period of three years when a person or the spouse of a person who has been unemployed for a minimum of one year takes up employment. In this context, time spent on the live register, approved schemes or courses for the long-term unemployed is treated as an unemployed period.

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