Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 23 Mar 1999

Vol. 502 No. 3

Written Answers. - Drugs Refund Scheme.

Brendan Howlin

Ceist:

324 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons aged over 65 who are covered by the drugs cost subsidisation scheme and drugs card scheme; the projected saving to the Exchequer arising from the increase to £42 of the monthly contribution to this scheme; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this increase will cause particular hardship to elderly persons dependent on pensions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7717/99]

The number of persons aged over 65 who are covered by the drug cost subsidisation scheme is 22,380.

The primary aim of the new drug payment scheme is to bring about important improvements in the existing schemes. The new scheme will effectively merge the best elements of the two existing schemes and is designed to significantly improve the cash flow situation for families and individuals incurring ongoing expenditure on medicines.

The new family scheme will have significant advantages over the existing drug refund scheme. Under the drug refund scheme, families and individuals pay the full cost of their prescription medicines and may, at the end of the quarter, claim reimbursement from their health board of expenditure over £90 in that calendar quarter. Many families and individuals have very heavy expenditure on drugs and medicines in a quarter and have to wait a further six weeks from the end of that quarter before they receive a refund. This can cause considerable cash flow problems for a significant number of families and individuals. This will not happen under the new drug payment scheme. From the introduction of the new scheme, no individual or family will have to pay more than £42 per month for prescribed medicines. It means that families and individuals will, for the first time, be able to budget for the cost of medicines. Families and individuals will know that, whatever the size of their drugs bill, they will not have to pay more than £42 per month. In addition there are families where, although one member may qualify for a drug cost subsidisation scheme card, combined expenditure on medicines by other members, which can be considerable, cannot be recouped until the end of the quarter. With the new drug payment scheme, no family will have to pay more than £42 in any month for prescribed medicines. The new scheme will be of significant benefit to such families.

The fact that the drug payment scheme will operate on a monthly basis has distinct advan tages over the current drug refund scheme. Under the drug refund scheme, a family or an individual could, for example in one month have expenditure of say £80 but no expenditure in the other two months. They would not have been entitled to a refund. Under the new scheme, they will only have to pay £42 in that month.
There are no qualifying criteria for inclusion on the new drug payment scheme. Where expenditure by a family or an individual exceeds £42 per month on prescribed medicines, the balance will be met by the State. This is in contrast to the old DCSS scheme, where patients had to be certified by their doctor as suffering from a condition requiring ongoing expenditure on medicines in excess of £32 per month.
With regard to the increase in the threshold, the position is that there has been no increase in the threshold for the existing schemes since 1991. It must also be borne in mind that the new threshold refers to family expenditure as opposed to the existing threshold in the drug cost subsidisation scheme which relates to individual expenditure.
As the new scheme is designed to be more user-friendly for individuals and families incurring expenditure on prescribed drugs and medicines in excess of £42 per month, it is expected that the uptake for the scheme will be broadly in line with the combined uptake of the drug cost subsidisation and drug refund schemes.
I would also point out that where an individual or a family is subjected to a significant level of on-going expenditure on medical expenses – general practitioner fees, prescribed drugs etc. – due to a long-term medical condition these expenses may be reckoned in determining eligibility for a medical card. In some cases a medical card may issue to a family member on a personal basis. Eligibility for a medical card is solely a matter for the chief executive officer of the relevant health board to decide.
Barr
Roinn