Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Prescription charges were introduced in the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2010, to address the rising costs in the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme.

The Government is committed to making healthcare more accessible and affordable and has introduced several reductions in the cost of healthcare.

On 1 November 2020, prescription charges under the GMS scheme were reduced as follows:

• For those aged over 70, €1 per item with a maximum charge of €10 per month.
• For those aged under 70, €1.50 per item with a maximum charge of €15 per month.

The total prescription charge income for 2022 was €60m.

Based on the year-to-date level of activity on the GMS Scheme, the estimated cost of abolishing prescription charges for those eligible would be €85.56mper annum.

This is broken down as follows:

• The cost of abolishing prescription charges for eligible people aged over 70 is approximately €43.44mper annum.
• The cost of abolishing prescription charges for eligible people aged under 70 is approximately €42.12mper annum.

This costing is subject to the following caveats:

• That demographic changes may impact the number of eligible persons.
• That the removal of prescription charges may result in a change in claimant behaviour.