Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 March 2010
83 Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Health and Children the assessment that has been made on the likely number of extra people who will qualify for a medical card in 2010; the funding that has been provided for this purpose; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10441/10]
View answerThe Health Service Executive's Service Plan for 2010 shows the projected cost in 2010 of the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme, which includes the medical card and GP visit card benefits, as €2.032 billion. The Service Plan also projects increases in medical card and GP visit card numbers of 144,000 and 16,111 respectively for 2010. These targets are based on trends in the last quarter of 2009, including the current economic situation and increases in numbers on the live register.
