Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Under the changes made at the end of last year, one does not necessarily need to have a medical card to qualify for aids and appliances. That does not mean, however, that everyone is automatically entitled to aids and appliances. In the past a medical card was the gateway to aids and appliances. There used to be very strange cases where those who needed a prosthesis but who did not want a medical card had to be given the medical card in order to be given the prosthesis. That is no longer the case. It is not an automatic right, but it is open to the HSE to decide.