Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This matter relates to the medical card eligibility for individuals aged between 18 and 26 years who, due to changes made, will have their social welfare entitlement reduced to as low as €100 per week if they are not undergoing a course of study. One would presume anyone in receipt of a social welfare payment of €100 a week would receive a medical card but this is not the case. These people fall between two stools.

The national assessment guidelines on medical card eligibility state a person aged between 16 and 25 may have entitlement to a medical card or a GP visit card if they meet a number of criteria, including being a dependent of a person with a medical card or a GP visit card; being financially independent, which in this case means they earn or are in receipt of a social welfare payment in excess of €164; or if they face extenuating circumstances such as financial hardship. It is very difficult to prove such hardship given the new manner in which medical cards are assessed.

There is a loophole here as one should not have to prove financial hardship or undue hardship just because one earns less than €164. A 27 year old person who receives a social welfare payment of €188, whether living at home or not, will receive a medical card, but just because one is 24 not only is one's social welfare payment reduced to €100 per week but because one is in receipt of less than €164 per week one will not receive a medical card either. It is very unfair. For those aged between 18 and 26 the national assessment guidelines for medical card eligibility should be changed because it is not fair or right they must comply with a raft of eligibility criteria.

I know a number of individuals in my county aged between 18 and 26 years who are not living with their parents, are in receipt of €100 per week and struggling to survive but who are not entitled to a medical card. That seems daft in the extreme and throws into question the entire medical card eligibility criteria if such individuals are not deemed eligible because they are in receipt of too little from the Department of Social Protection. That is the only reason they are being refused a medical card. It does not make any sense to me and I know it is an issue that many community welfare officers are dealing with in various parts of the country. A change must be made quickly because people are finding themselves in very difficult circumstances.