John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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741. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to cover persons with coeliac disease under the medical card scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21712/15]

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 Eligibility and 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.

The Deputy will also be aware that a Clinical Advisory Group has been appointed and it will provide an interim update on its work this month on the development of guidance on assessing medical card applications involving significant medical conditions, so as to take account of the burden involved and the needs arising from the condition and to ensure that appropriate services are provided to people who need them.

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 over 63% from about 52,000 in mid-2014 to over 85,000 at the end of April this year.