Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That child lost a medical card as a result of the Government's policy change. The Minister of State with responsibility for these matters, Deputy Alex White, acknowledged in a reply to a parliamentary question that 10,000 such people have lost their medical cards in 2013 to date. By definition, a discretionary medical card is for people with special needs, multiple conditions or a range of other issues. These are the people who by any yardstick need a medical card the most.

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