Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 April 2013
614. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the medical card changes made by the Health Service Executive, removing home improvement loans payments and excluding the first €50 per week from travel to work expenses from the standard medical card means test assessment; if he has approved these changes; if he will reverse these changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18691/13]
View answerAs part of Budget 2013, it was announced that there would be a tightening of rules for eligibility. Consequently, the HSE is taking a number of measures to reduce the cost of the General Medical Service (GMS) Scheme. In addition to the reduction in the income limits for over-70s Medical Cards, the assessment criteria for the standard medical card is being changed. Home Improvement Loan payments and a €50 per week car allowance in Travel-to-Work expenses, as referred to by the Deputy will, in future, be excluded from consideration in the means test assessment.
I would like to assure the Deputy that the changes were identified as the expenses that would best mitigate the impact of removal of some allowable expenses in the assessment process while also yielding the requisite savings. In so doing, the need to reduce the income limits for medical cards was avoided. In addition, the new arrangements continue to fully take account of a person's mortgage or rental expenses.
