The health strategy includes a commitment that significant improvements will be made in the medical card income guidelines in order to increase the number of persons on low income who are eligible for a medical card and to give priority to families with children, particularly children with a disability. This should be viewed in the broader context of the strategy's emphasis on fairness and its stated objective of reducing health inequalities in our society. Due to the prevailing budgetary situation I regret that it is not possible to meet this commitment this year. However, the Government remains committed to the introduction of the necessary changes within its lifetime.
Health board chief executive officers have discretion in relation to the issuing of medical cards. A range of income sources are excluded by the health boards when assessing medical card eligibility. Many allowances such as carer's allowance, child benefit, domiciliary care allowance, family income supplement and foster care allowance are all disregarded when determining a person's eligibility. Given these factors and the discretionary powers of the chief executive officers, having an income that exceeds the guidelines does not mean that a person will not be eligible for a medical card. A medical card may still be awarded if a chief executive officer considers that a person's medical needs or other circumstances would justify it.
Non-medical card holders, and people with conditions not covered under the long-term illness scheme, can avail of the drugs payment scheme. Under this scheme no individual or family unit pays more than €70 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines.
The strategy includes a whole series of initiatives to clarify and expand the existing arrangements for eligibility for health services, including recommendations arising from the review of the medical card scheme carried out by the health board chief executive officers under the PPF. It includes: streamlining applications and improving the standardisation of the medical card applications process to ensure better fairness and transparency; providing clearer information to people about how and where to apply for medical cards; and proactively seeking out those who should have medical cards to ensure they have access to the services that are available.