David Cullinane
Question:387. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the cost of reducing prescription charges to €0 in increments of €0.50 for people aged under 70 years and people aged 70 years and older. [30397/24]
View answerWednesday, 10 July 2024
Questions (387)
Written answers
Prescription charges were introduced in the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2010. On 1 November 2020, prescription charges were reduced as follows:
• For those aged over 70, €1.00 per item with a maximum charge of €10 per month.
• For those aged under 70, €1.50 per item with a maximum charge of €15 per month.
The below table sets out the cost of reducing prescription charges to €0.00 in increments of €0.50 for people aged under 70 years and people aged 70 years and older.
|
Prescription charge level |
€1.00 |
€0.50 |
€0.00 |
|
People aged 70 and over |
- |
€24.4m |
€48.7m |
|
People aged under 70 |
€15.3m |
€23.2m |
€46.5m |
|
Total cost |
€15.3m |
€47.6m |
€95.2m |
These costings do not take account of changes in demographics or in eligibility (e.g., changes in the number of medical card holders). It also does not take account of how a reduction in prescription charges may impact claimant behaviour.