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Medicinal Products

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 July 2024

Wednesday, 10 July 2024

Questions (386)

David Cullinane

Question:

386. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of reducing the drug payment scheme threshold to €5, €10, €15, €20, €40, €60 and €80, in tabular form. [30396/24]

View answer

Written answers

The Drug Payment Scheme (DPS) provides for the refund of the amount by which expenditure on approved prescribed medicines or medical and surgical appliances exceeds a named threshold in any calendar month. The DPS is not means tested and is available to anyone ordinarily resident in Ireland.

The DPS threshold was reduced twice in 2022:

• From €114 to €100 per month on 1 January 2022.

• From €100 to €80 per month on 1 March 2022.

Therefore, currently, under the DPS, no individual or family pays more than €80 a month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines.

The cost of reducing the DPS is estimated as follows:

Threshold

Cost

€60

€41.2m

€40

€95.1m

€20

€161.6m

€15

€180.3m

€10

€199.7m

€5

€219.9m

These costings do not take account of changes in demographics, eligibility (e.g., changes in the number of medical card holders), or claimant behaviour arising from the DPS reduction.

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