Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Independent)
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464. To ask the Minister for Health if he will reverse the decision to increase the prescription charge cap from €19.50 to €25 per month for medical card holders; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties that this is causing to medical card holders living on very low incomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10779/14]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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As was announced in Budget 2014, it has become necessary to increase the prescription charge due to the very difficult and challenging economic environment which requires the Government to achieve additional savings in health expenditure of €666 million in 2014. The increase in prescription charges will account for €43 million of this target. The Government is committed to achieving these savings while protecting front line services to the most vulnerable to the greatest extent possible. With effect from 1 December 2013, medical card holders are required to pay a €2.50 charge per item for medicines and other prescription items supplied to them by community pharmacists, subject to a cap of €25 per month for each person or family. There are no plans to reverse the increase in the monthly cap.