The Health Service Executive (HSE) has a range of functions under the Health Acts 1947 to 2007 and other Acts including the Child Care Acts 1991 to 2007 and the Mental Health Acts 1945 to 2001.
The Health Act 1970 provides broadly for persons to have either full or limited eligibility for health services. Persons with full eligibility are entitled to general practitioner services, prescribed drugs, medicines and appliances, all in-patient public hospital services in public wards including consultant services, all out-patient public hospital services including consultant services, dental, ophthalmic and aural services and appliances, child health services, home nursing and a maternity and infant care service.
Persons with limited eligibility are eligible for in-patient public hospital services in public wards including consultant services, outpatient public hospital services including consultant services. Dental and routine ophthalmic and aural services are not provided by the State, but this treatment is provided to children who have been referred from a child health clinic or a school health examination. A maternity and infant care service is provided during pregnancy and up to six weeks after birth. In 2005, the GP Visit Card was introduced as a graduated benefit, so that people on lower incomes, particularly parents of young children, who do not qualify for a medical card would not be deterred on cost grounds from visiting their GP.
Provision is made for charges in a number of areas, including inpatient charges and certain outpatient charges. There is also provision that persons with limited eligibility must meet the first €90 of prescribed drugs costs per month, above which the Drug Payments Scheme meets all further costs.
Before the establishment of the HSE, some variation in practice had developed over time, between the individual health boards, in relation to the provision of certain services. In the HSE's National Service Plan 2008, Section 8 of the Plan describes Consistency and Social Inclusion initiatives which are designed to provide and improve consistency of service provisions, ensure geographical equity and equity of access to treatment and care.