Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I raise this matter because, over time, it dawned on me that what is happening seems to be unfair and inequitable. If one gets sick with a serious illness, obviously one's income will not match the outlay for treatment. That outlay is €800 for any inpatient treatment over 12 consecutive months. I have been helping patients to apply for medical cards because they have been given bad news about the state of their health and what they need to do. The Minister of State will be aware that it takes time for medical cards to be declined, issued or appealed. Another area that needs to be explored is trying to keep the interim guys at bay until a decision is made about the medical card applications. Patients are granted medical cards that do not apply retrospectively to the date of application so the forms that they fills in about their income and outgoings do not take into account the additional costs of being sick such as transport, medication, different diets or whatever. Those forms are sent in at the time the patient realises they are sick and need a medical card. The medical card takes weeks, if one is lucky, to be granted and, if it is granted, it is dated from the time that the decision is made, as opposed to retrospectively when the patient began receiving treatment from the health services.

Could the Minister of State examine this? I asked the HSE whether it retains data on this. This is about the interactions between the medical card section and the finance section of the HSE which issues bills. It is grossly unfair. When one applies for other benefits or supports from the State at times of need, they are retrospectively applied to the time of application. It is from the time the decision is made in this case. I am interested in the Minister of State's response.