Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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1309. To ask the Minister for Health if the means test for medical cards for persons with disabilities will be removed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33055/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with the provisions of the Health Act 1970 (as amended), eligibility for a medical card is determined by the HSE. The Act obliges the HSE to assess whether a person is unable, without due hardship, to arrange general practitioner services for himself or herself and his or her family, having regard to his or her overall financial position and reasonable expenditure.

The HSE's Expert Group on Medical Needs and Medical Card Eligibility examined the issue of awarding medical cards on the basis of illness or a disability and concluded that it was not feasible, desirable nor ethically justifiable to list medical conditions in priority order for medical card eligibility. The Expert Group also concluded that a persons means should remain the main qualifier for a medical card. This remains unchanged.

However, it should be noted that since 1st December 2018, the medical card earnings disregard for persons in receipt of Disability Allowance was increased from €120 to €427 per week and applies to the assessment process for both single persons and to family assessments. This measure gave effect to one of the key recommendations of the Make Work Pay for Persons with Disabilities Report and enables persons in receipt of the disability allowance to have a higher level of earnings and still retain their medical card.

Furthermore, since June 1st 2017, all children for whom a Domiciliary Care Allowance is paid automatically qualify for a medical card without assessment.