Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 134: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that people who have medical cards have to renew them on a yearly basis; her plans to award medical cards for at least two years; her further plans to extend the medical card cover to persons with long-term illness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8140/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Medical cards are made available by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to persons and their dependants who would otherwise experience undue hardship in meeting the cost of General Practitioner (GP) services. In 2005 the GP visit card was introduced as a graduated benefit so that people on lower incomes, particularly parents of young children, who do not qualify for a medical card would not be deterred on cost grounds from visiting their GP.

The HSE has informed me that it has detailed operational guidelines in place for the assessment of medical card applications. The purpose of these is to ensure that every person entitled to a medical card or GP visit card is given the opportunity to avail of their entitlement and that there is a consistency of approach to means-testing nationally. I am informed that the guidelines include provisions dealing with medical card review dates which state that "the guiding principle for setting a review date should be to set a date in each case at which an income/dependency change or other change could reasonably be expected to occur which would affect eligibility".

I consider it appropriate that the Executive carry out periodic reviews of medical card holders in order to establish whether they continue to be eligible for services under the Scheme. The HSE indicates that such reviews are conducted in a manner that takes due account of the personal circumstances of the card holder and that arrangements are in place to limit the need for frequent reviews where a review would normally result in the renewal of the medical card.

Under the Health Act 1970, the HSE may arrange for the supply, without charge, of drugs, medicines and medical and surgical appliances to people with a specified condition, for the treatment of that condition, through the Long Term Illness Scheme (LTI). The LTI does not cover GP fees or hospital co-payments. The conditions are: mental handicap, mental illness (for people under 16 only), phenylketonuria, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, hydrocephalus, diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, haemophilia, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophies, Parkinsonism, conditions arising from thalidomide and acute leukaemia.

Products which are necessary for the management of the specified illness are available to LTI patients. Other products are available according to the patient's eligibility. I have no plans to extend medical card cover to persons with other long-term conditions.