Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A pensioner who receives the old age pension, contributory or non-contributory, or has the changed limits here, is fully entitled to a medical card and will get it in accordance with those criteria.

Of the 1.8 million cards issued, more than ever before, people are paying for these cards. Some people have died, some cards are redundant because people's incomes have changed and they have moved up, some people are migrant workers who have returned to their own countries and others are not eligible for one reason or another. There is a need for the HSE to communicate to pensioners in particular that when they receive a review notice there is no point in not dealing with it because anybody who meets these criteria will get their medical card. Doctors who are in receipt of payment for the general medical services, GMS, medical card lists, find that significant numbers of these cases may no longer be eligible for cards for the reasons I mentioned so it is important to check those accurately and see how many cards are still viable. There has been no change in the criteria or eligibility.

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