John Lahart
Question:350. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health the reason persons suffering from Huntington's disease are not entitled to a medical card as a right; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6835/18]
View answerTuesday, 13 February 2018
Questions (350)
Written answers
A key recommendation of the 2014 Report of the Expert Panel on Medical Need for Medical Card Eligibility was that a person’s means should remain the main qualifier for a medical card. The report also concluded that it is neither feasible nor desirable to list conditions in priority order for medical card eligibility. Therefore, medical card provision is solely based on financial assessment. Under the legislation, having a particular illness, in itself, does not establish eligibility for a medical card.
Every effort is made by the HSE, within the framework of the legislation, to support applicants in applying for a medical card and, in particular, to take full account of the difficult circumstances in the case of applicants who may be in excess of the income guidelines. It should be noted, in certain circumstances, the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, even though an applicant exceeds his or her income threshold, where he or she faces difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from an illness. Social and medical issues are considered when determining whether undue hardship exists for an individual accessing general practitioner or other medical services. The HSE affords applicants the opportunity to furnish supporting information documentation to fully take account of all the relevant circumstances that may benefit them in the assessment, including medical evidence of cost and necessary expenses.