Written answers

Tuesday, 22 September 2015

Department of Health

Medical Card Administration

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1152. To ask the Minister for Health his proposals to ensure that adequate resources are provided to enable a much shorter timeframe for the processing of discretionary medical card applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32322/15]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Under the Health Act, 1970, as amended, eligibility for health services is based primarily on residency and means. In accordance with the Act, 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.

Following publication of the Report of the Expert Panel on Medical Need for Medical Card Eligibility and the Medical Card Process Review in November 2014, Minister Varadkar 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. These included changes to the governance and organisational structure of the medical card assessment function within the HSE to increase the focus on customer service in the assessment process. The HSE has also taken steps to ensure greater interaction between the medical card central assessment office and the Local Health Office and/or Primary Care Team to see if there are further circumstances or needs that would support a medical card application, and to ensure that assistance is provided to meet the individual's needs as far as possible (where they don't have a medical card).

As the Deputy will be aware, the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card even though an applicant's means exceed the prescribed threshold, where deemed appropriate. Where the HSE invokes discretion, they must do so in a consistent manner and are cognisant of the potential range of circumstances that might prevail in individual cases. The relevant factors in assessing undue hardship may require the HSE to take a number of issues into account and may require the applicant, or the HSE, on behalf of the applicant to interact with a number of sources to establish eligibility which may often be a timely process. The HSE guidelines governing the application of discretion were developed to ensure that fairness and equity is applied to all applicants under these schemes in accordance with the legislation and endeavours to ensure that all persons who are entitled to a medical card or a GP visit card, are facilitated to avail of their entitlement.

The HSE is exercising greater discretion, as is evident in the increase in the number of discretionary medical cards in circulation - by about 76% - from about 52,000 in mid-2014 to over 92,000 at the end of August this year.

Also as part of the reform, a Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) was established by the Director General of the HSE to provide clinical oversight and guidance to the operation of a more compassionate and trusted medical card system. The Group is working 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.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.