Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank both Deputies. We have to keep an open mind to patient cost generally. One of the priorities for the Government has been reducing healthcare costs for patients. We increased the medical card thresholds for the over-70s; we are looking at about half a million more GP cards; we have introduced free contraception and will go further in September when we will introduce State-funded IVF. We have abolished inpatient hospital charges for now for children and for adults; and we have reduced the drug payment scheme threshold from €124 to €114 and down to €80. We can certainly keep all of this under consideration. One of the pillars of our drive towards universal healthcare is that when people need access to care, it is affordable. It is one reason I am so keen we bring in these extra GP cards. Right now, the State funds about 40% of the population's access to GPs. We have people on higher incomes who can afford to see the GPs. We have a bunch of people in the middle now who really cannot afford to see the GPs. They cannot afford the €65 to visit the doctor and that is the group we are going to target now with these extra GP cards.

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