Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent)
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383. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 122 of 1 October 2014, the specific section and subsection of legislation that provides for the Health Service Executive to withdraw a medical card in advance of the expiry date shown on the card when the person's income and medical circumstances have not changed but where changes have been made in eligibility criteria. [38181/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Section 45 of the Health Act 1970, as amended, provides that adult persons who, in the opinion of the Health Service Executive, are unable without undue hardship to arrange general practitioner medical and surgical services for themselves and their dependants shall full eligibility.

The Act does not provide for holding full eligibility for a defined period. Where a person does not meet the requirements under Section 45, full eligibility ceases. Under Section 49 of the Act, a medical card holder is obliged to notify the HSE of any change in those circumstances which would disentitle him/her to the medical card. The HSE is rarely notified of changes.