Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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466. To ask the Minister for Health if transplant patients are entitled to either a medical card or to a long-term illness card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15396/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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In accordance with the Health Act 1970 (as amended), the assessment for a medical card is determined primarily by reference to the means, including the income and expenditure, of the applicant and his or her partner and dependants. There is no entitlement to a medical card for a person with a particular illness or medical condition. The Deputy will be aware of the publication of the Report of the Expert Panel on Medical Need for Medical Card Eligibilityand the Medical Card Process Reviewin November 2014. Key findings of the Expert Panel were that it would not be feasible, desirable or ethically justifiable to list medical conditions in priority order for medical card eligibility and that a person’s means should remain the main qualifier for a medical card.

However, the Government recognises that the health service needs to be responsive to the circumstances of people with significant medical needs. Following publication of the two reports, in November 2014, the Minister for Health and I announced a series of measures to enhance the operation of the medical card scheme and make it more sensitive to people’s needs, especially where serious illness is involved. Where deemed appropriate in particular circumstances, the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card even though an applicant's means exceed the prescribed threshold. Where a person does not qualify for a medical card, they may be provided with a GP Visit Card, appropriate therapy or other community supports or drugs.

The medical card system is now operating in a more sensible and sensitive manner. The HSE is exercising greater discretion, as is evident in the increase in the number of discretionary medical cards in circulation - by 60% from about 52,000 in mid-2014 to over 83,000 at the end of March this year.

With regard to the Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme, there are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the scheme.

I can advise the Deputy that, under the Drugs Payment Scheme, no individual or family pays more than €144 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The scheme significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals not holding a medical card, a GP visit card or not covered under the LTI scheme who incur ongoing expenditure on medicines.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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467. To ask the Minister for Health if applications for medical cards by retired public servants who are over 70 years of age is considered based on their income, after the application of the public service pension reduction; if persons who should qualify based on their income, taking account of the reduction have been denied a medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15398/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.

The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.

If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, will he please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.