Vol. 417 No. 7
152 Mr. Byrne asked the Minister for Health if he will exclude senior citizens from the £15 per day hospital in-service charge, in view of the hardship it can cause, and in view of the fact that many such senior citizens have contributed substantially in taxes during their working lives; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The hospital in-patient charge is a small but important contribution towards the very high cost of providing public hospital services while at the same time maintaining the principle that only those that can afford to pay are required to do so. Medical card holders are exempt from the charge.
Income guidelines are available to assist chief executive officers in the determination of a person's eligibility for a medical card and the income limits increase according to a person's age. There is also a provision in the Health Acts whereby persons may be given a particular service free of charge to which they are not normally entitled on the basis that they are unable without undue hardship to provide the service for themselves and their dependants.
In view of the high cost to the State of hospital services, I would find it difficult to justify exempting one group of people from hospital charges without taking any account of their means. However due to the higher income guidelines for persons over 65, and due to the discretionary powers of the chief executive officers in awarding cards in individual cases, the percentage of persons over 65 who hold medical cards and who are therefore exempt from the in-patient charge, is at present in the region of 84 per cent.
