Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to address this topic. Apart from housing, the loss of medical cards for those over 70 years is the main issue that I am dealing with in my office at the moment. I imagine this is probably the case for most other Deputies as well. I need not remind the Minister of State that following the elections in May the loss of medical cards was identified as the number one reason why the Government took a trouncing. All of the attention seemed to be focused on the loss of discretionary medical cards and a decision was taken to restore them. However, what was not highlighted at the time and what is one of the biggest problems relating to medical cards is that the income limit for those over 70 years has been cut so drastically.

The Minister of State will recall that for a number of years up to 2008 everybody aged over 70 was entitled to a medical card. When the then Minister for Health, Ms Mary Harney, announced she would introduce an income limit, there were huge protests. The leaders of the main Opposition parties at the time, Deputies Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore, were on the platform at a protest on Molesworth Street supporting the pensioners and they decried the fact that income limits were being introduced. However, they were introduced and they worked reasonably well in so far as they were set at a level that enabled the vast majority of the over 70s to retain their cards. Approximately 5% of medical card holders lost theirs as a result of that decision.

That was fine until last year when the Taoiseach and the then Tánaiste, Deputy Gilmore, supported a proposal in the budget to cut the income limits for those aged 70 again to €1,200 per week for a couple and €600 for a single person. That was bad enough, given it kicked in in April 2013, but a second cut was announced in last October's budget, which meant that in less than a year the income limits were cut twice. That resulted in a cut of €500 per week for couples and this has had a drastic impact on access to medical card cover. Members are dealing with this every day. The major difference in the income limits for those aged over 70 and those aged under 70 is gross income is used for the over 70s and no consideration is given to the medical or other expenses they incur. They are inclined to have significant medical conditions because of their age.

A great many of those in their late 70s, 80s or 90s are put through the mill in medical card reviews. They receive calls to provide information on their financial circumstances with many of them told they have exceeded the income limit and they will lose their medical card and, instead, be awarded a GP visit card. That is a poor consolation for an elderly person who needs access to community services because the medical card is the passport to such services, including public health nurses, physiotherapy in the case of somebody who has had a stroke, speech and language therapy, which is also important for older people, and home helps. These are key services in enabling people to remain in their homes and out of nursing homes.

What is going on makes no sense whatsoever. It is wrong that the Minister of State is doing this to elderly people, many of whom are extremely ill. It also makes no sense from a financial point of view. The system needs to be changed.

See this speech in context