Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 September 2022
1512. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of excluding the one parent family payment from the medical card means test by way of the additional numbers that would qualify for the medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42065/22]
View answerThe data required to model this proposal is not readily available and it is therefore not possible to provide an estimated cost. Specifically, the following data which is necessary for the estimation is unavailable:
1. the number of persons in receipt of the one parent family payment and/or the jobseekers transition payment who already hold eligibility for a medical card or a GP visit card, and
2. the total number of persons in receipt of the one parent family payment and/or the jobseekers transition payment including a breakdown by age profile to allow for an accurate calculation to be made using the average cost of a medical card by age.
It should also be noted that where a person's sole income is derived from a social welfare payment, even where this is more than the current means threshold, he/she will be awarded 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. The HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, even though an applicant exceeds the income threshold where they face difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from an illness. Social and medical issues are also considered when determining whether undue hardship exists for an individual accessing general practitioner or other medical services.
