Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
1970. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost of providing free primary care, including general practitioners for all; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41509/22]
View answer1971. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost of providing free general practitioner care for all; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41510/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1970 and 1971 together.
GP GMS contractors receive a range of capitation rates, fee per service payments and practice supports. Extending GP care without charges to all citizens who do not currently hold a medical card or GP visit card would encompass a further 3 million people approximately. It is not possible to definitively calculate the cost of universal GP care without charges given the wide range of payments and variables that have to be accounted for.
Such a calculation would require a complex and detailed modelling exercise to account for a range of demographic changes, future projections of service demands and variation in the number of GPs and the allowances that could be paid.
Additionally, the fees payable to GPs could only be determined following agreement with the IMO on the scope and content of the general practitioner service to be provided, as well as on the future of the various other supports provided to general practice. However, the 2019 IGEES paper "Costing Framework for the Expansion of GP Care" provides a cost estimate for universal free GP care and is available from igees.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Costing-Framework-for-the-Expansion-of-GP-Care.pdf.
Over the last number of years, several pieces of detailed policy analysis have been undertaken to assess various aspects of expanding eligibility for near or full universal access to primary care and other care sectors and the associated additional costs for the Exchequer. These include the Expert Group Report on Resource Allocation and Financing of the Irish Health System (2010), the White Paper on Universal Health Insurance and Associated Costs (2015) the Committee on the Future of Healthcare Sláintecare Report (2018) and Universal GP Care in Ireland: Potential Cost Implications (2018).
