Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 March 2021
1650. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if charges apply to patients who require post-Covid-19 medical assessment reviews and are transferred from public hospitals to private hospitals for this review; the charges for a patient with a medical card, with health insurance and without health insurance, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14974/21]
View answerThe Health Act 1970 (as amended) provides that all persons ordinarily resident in the State are eligible, subject to certain charges, to public in-patient hospital services including consultant services. All persons, accessing public in-patient (including day case) services in a public hospital are liable for the statutory in-patient daily charge of €80 up to a maximum of €800 in any period of 12 consecutive months, subject to a number of exemptions which include:
- medical card holders;
- people receiving treatment for prescribed infectious diseases;
- people who are subject to 'long-stay' charges;
- children referred for treatment from child health clinics and school board examinations;
- people who are eligible for hospital services because of EU Regulations;
- women receiving maternity services;
- children up to 6 weeks of age;
- people with hepatitis C who have a Health Amendment Card;
- people who are part of the Redress Scheme for Women Resident in Certain Institutions.
Where care is provided in the public hospital system in an outpatient setting (other than services provided in certain designated centres including an Emergency Department or Minor Injury Unit) no charge is liable.
In relation to the Private Hospital Agreement in the context of Covid-19 it specifically allows for the treatment of urgent and time critical patients in the context of a surge. As such, when metrics indicate that the system is no longer ‘in surge’, the private hospital deal and associated payment/financial arrangements, are no longer in place. In that regard a post-Covid assessment is not considered to fall under the terms of the current Safety Net arrangement with the private hospitals and therefore the issue of patient charges in a private hospital should not arise.
