Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:737. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost of abolishing all inpatient and ED charges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24184/23]
View answerTuesday, 23 May 2023
Questions (737)
Written answers
As part of Budget 2023, I announced my commitment to abolish all public inpatient hospital charges this year. The Health (Amendment) Act 2023, signed into law by the President on 4 April 2023, removes the acute public in-patient charge of €80 per day for people accessing care as a public patient in public hospitals. This measure came into effect from 17 April 2023.
The removal of these charges is an important step towards reducing the healthcare costs of patients and families. This measure builds on the abolition of public in-patient charges for children, which I introduced in September last year, and is another significant step in ensuring that people have access to affordable healthcare services when needed.
Emergency Department (ED) charges are recorded by the HSE as Out-Patient Income. In 2021 the HSE reported Hospital Out-Patient Income of €22.4m.