Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 February 2014
58. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of discretionary medical cards he expects there to be at the end of 2014; the number there was at the end of 2013; the number of new discretionary medical cards issued in 2013; the number withdrawn in 2013; the number of discretionary medical cardholders who were awarded a non-discretionary medical card in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6924/14]
View answerAs I have put on the record of the House on more than one occasion, there is no such entity as a discretionary medical card. There is only one medical card. Medical cards provided on the basis of means or where discretion is involved are identical and provide access to the same set of health services.
Under the Health Act, 1970 eligibility for a Medical Card or a GP Visit Card is determined on the basis of an assessment of financial means. Eligibility may be granted if the applicant cannot arrange general practitioner, medical and surgical services, for themselves and their dependants, without undue financial hardship. It is important to note discretion is not a stand-alone exercise but has been and remains, an integral part of the assessment process for a medical card.
As at 1st January 2014, the number of medical cards granted on the basis of the exercise of discretion was 50,294 and the number of GP Visit Cards granted on the basis of the exercise of discretion was 25,793. As at 1st January 2013, the number of medical cards granted on the basis of the exercise of discretion was 62,987 and the number of GP Visit Cards granted on the basis of the exercise of discretion was 15,972.
As the Deputy will be aware, fluctuations in the number of cards awarded on a discretionary basis can, in part, be attributed to the fact that more people, who previously were marginally over the normal qualifying limit, became eligible under review for medical cards under the normal qualifying scales. They were previously recorded on the medical card register as having had eligibility for a medical card granted on a discretionary basis and now, based on their financial income, are recorded on the register simply as eligible for a medical card.
The HSE is not in a position to speculate on the number of medical cards that are likely to be issued on grounds of discretion in 2014.
