John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Health the reason he narrowed eligibility for the over 70 years medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57058/12]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Due to the current financial climate, it is necessary to identify measures to mitigate the escalating costs of the medical card scheme for both the over 70's cohort and the under 70's cohort.

The changes to income limits for the over 70's, which were announced in Budget 2013, will affect about 5% of the entire over 70's population, which is in the region of 20,000 of the 360,000 over-70's medical card holders. Under the new arrangements, it is envisaged that 92% of the over 70's will retain their medical cards.

At present, people over 70 are entitled to a medical card if their income is less than €700 per week for a single person or €1,400 for a couple. In line with measures announced in Budget 2013, the income limits are being reduced to €600 a week for an individual and €1,200 a week for a couple. This will mean that a single person with an income under €600 per week or a couple with an income under €1,200 per week, will still qualify for a medical card. If a single person has an income of between €600 and €700 per week, or a couple has an income of between €1,200 and €1,400 per week, they will qualify for a GP visit card instead of a medical card. People who lose the medical card will be entitled to make use of the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS) which reimburses the cost of medication that exceeds a monthly threshold.