Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The then Deputy also stated:

The granting of a legal right to a medical card to citizens when they reach the age of 70 was one of the few fruits of Ireland's recent prosperity that this age group was given. It gave them peace of mind and the chance to stay healthy and out of hospital.

She said that to take it away again was regressive, cruel and inhumane, and that it brought a huge outpouring of outrage onto the streets of Dublin. This was when Fianna Fáil attempted to take medical cards from our senior citizens.

The Minister of State also stated:

We owe it to [all] those who travelled from the four corners of Ireland to the Age Action meeting in... Westland Row, and to the... Senior Citizens Parliament demonstration outside Leinster House, to fight their cause in this democratic Chamber. [This is] ...a generation who paid their taxes at a rate that current young earners would find unbelievable. They saved their money for a rainy day. They did not allow themselves the luxuries of [changes of decor or foreign holidays]. [They made]... their own sandwiches and drank water from a tap or [even] a [spring] well. They richly deserved something back from the State.

The Minister of State further stated:

The Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats Government [in its wisdom] and credit to it for granting an automatic medical card to [all those] over the age of 70 in advance of the 2002 general election... It seems now that this was only granted for as long as it suited the Government [and the same applies to this Government]. When times got tough... [they were in the] first batch of cuts. This was done in a budget that [we were told was going to]... protect the vulnerable. On the contrary, the vulnerable are taking the brunt of the pain of these cutbacks.

She also said that in that context one had to question what was the intention into the future. She said: "The yearly review gives no guarantee [that more and more people] will not have the card removed in years to come." She quite rightly said that "the principle of universal access should be retained". She also said: "The Labour Party [has]... advocated a system of universal health care [since 2002], including free access to primary care for all citizens." She continued that we have a picture of what we could do for the health of the nation in the improved statistics in relation to older people since 2001, which is an important point.

The Minister of State added:

A study published in the Irish Medical Journal in 2004 showed that access to the medical card resulted in older people visiting their GP more often, an increased uptake of the influenza vaccine, a reduction in the percentage of people over the age of 70 who had a disability. It is not unreasonable to conclude that [this is the result of better] access to primary care and improved management of existing health conditions. There is strong evidence to suggest that men... [in particular had better] outcomes when they have medical cards [because without a card they would generally only visit the doctor when they are acutely ill rather than]... for regular check-ups and monitoring of conditions... It is quite feasible to suggest that there would be a saving to the overall health budget.

Those were the comments of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, when in opposition when she attacked Fianna Fáil for attempting to cut people's entitlement to a medical card in 2008. It cannot be said by the Government that things were different then from what they are now. When the Government knocked on doors, it told people that it would protect the most vulnerable, those at the cutting edge and the coalface of HSE services, social welfare services and all those areas where people need support.

The Government is cutting the income limit for qualification from €600 per week to €500 for a single person over the age of 70 and to €900 for a couple who are living together. I have a question in this respect. Heretofore the income threshold for a couple was €1,400 per week and for a single person it was €700 and that threshold was dropped to €1,200 for a couple and to €600 for a single person. This Bill reduces the threshold for a single person to €500 and for a couple to €900. That is a big change to the income thresholds that have applied to date and it should be examined by the Minister. In saying that I want to make it clear that I am opposed to this Bill on the basis of its impact.

This issue will be extremely important for medical card holders. The Government wants to save €20 million on probity savings. I do not know what probity is for a person who seeks a medical card and needs one. Those who have a medical card will have a cut in their income of €144 per month if they have excess medical needs. If a person is earning over €184 per week, which is the medical card income threshold, that is less than most social welfare payments. The Government is saying to anybody in receipt of social welfare that if they are in receipt of more than €184 they are not entitled to a medical card. Following that logic, that will exclude a whole layer of people who are in receipt of jobseeker's benefit at €188, on pensions, disability benefit, etc. That is a huge anomaly.

Those in the medical cards section previously would have used discretion to give medical cards to people whose income of €188 or €190 was just over the threshold. The question is whether this change will be used as a way to say that people who were in receipt of a medical card are now not entitled to one. That is what is happening. This has happened to people who have contacted me and I am sure people have contacted other Deputies with similar cases.

I know of a young woman who worked in Blindcraft for many years. It was closed by the previous Government as it was selling the land in Drimnagh and this woman lost her job. She wanted to work; she was active in her community. She got up every morning and went to work in Blindcraft. When it closed she had no other option but to seek jobseeker's benefit and support from social welfare. For the past three years she has applied for a medical card because she has major underling illnesses and it has been refused every time. She has had to reapply for it and appeal the decision and she has got it. This year the same thing happened. She has been refused her card. We have sent her application back for a review and appeal and the medical card section has said that it does not know about it and that it has looked at everything, etc. Every year this woman has been refused her medical card and then given it. At each stage of the process she has been asked to give more medical evidence and more proof that she needs a medical card. The same proof has been sent in every year. Where does one get more proof if one is very ill and needs a medical card? This woman cannot afford the medication she is on if she does not have a medical card to support her. This is where this change is impacting on people. This is where the Government is trying to make €20 million in cuts. If that woman loses her medical card, she will have to pay the first €144 of the cost of any medication she needs. Therefore, she has taken a cut in her social welfare income of €144 per month. That is outrageous. This is a cut to people's social welfare income. The Government says that it is not touching core social welfare payments, but it is cutting everywhere else and this is affecting people's wages and income and people who are most in need of a medical card at a time when they are vulnerable. People are scared of their lives that they will lose their medical cards because of decisions made by the Government.

This Bill is a disgrace. The Government should lower its head in shame. It did not say to people on the doorsteps that it was going to cut people's medical cards. It is going to take €20 million out of the medical card system. The Government cannot say that it not going to affect people because some people will lose their medical cards. People who need cards are going to lose them. The Government should reverse its decision on this and not implement it. As I said earlier, we know there is money in this country. The wealthy are getting wealthier. Inequality is growing between those who have and those who have not in this country. It is a scandal that the Government, of which the Labour Party is a member, is implementing these cuts on ordinary people. I put it to the Government that this decision should be reversed and not implemented.

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