Written answers

Wednesday, 7 October 2020

Department of Health

Health Services Charges

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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242. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost in a full year of each of charges (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29175/20]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Government recently approved the necessary funding to implement three of the Budget 2020 measures. These are:

- an increase to the gross medical card income limits for those aged 70 and over to €550 per week for a single person and to €1,050 per week for a couple;

- a reduction to the GMS prescription charges by €0.50c for all medical card holders. The charge would be reduced by €0.50c to €1 per item for the over 70s and by €0.50c to €1.50 for persons under 70. The maximum monthly charge would also be reduced to €10 and €15 respectively and;

- the monthly threshold of €124 for the Drug Payment Scheme (DPS) will be reduced by €10 to €114 per household.

Officials in my Department are now making the necessary arrangements to ensure the implementation of these measures from 1 November 2020.

The full year estimated cost of the reduction in prescription charges by €0.50c for all medical card holders is €25m and the DPS monthly threshold to €114 per household is €19m. While the cost of increasing the over 70s medical income limits will be dependent on a number of factors, such as the number of additional medical card applications made to the HSE, the timescale within which these are made and the number of applicants who are deemed eligible.

Regarding the extension of GP care, the Government is committed to increasing access to GP care without charges for children, an important healthcare measure that will remove a potentially prohibitive cost barrier to accessing GP care and will help to improve children’s health as they develop. The introduction of the expansion of GP care without fees will be the subject of negotiation with the IMO, representing general practitioners, and the exact cost of each of the phased expansions will depend on the outcome of those negotiations.

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