Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

2409.To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of providing free GP care to all children under 18; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32878/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

GP visit card eligibility was expanded last year under the GP Agreement 2023 to all those earning up to the median household income and to all children under the 8 years of age. All persons aged 70 years and over are also eligible for a GP visit card. Following these expansions, over half the population are eligible for GP care without charges under the GMS scheme.

Increasing GP visit card eligibility to all children aged 8 to 17 years inclusive, would grant eligibility to approximately 455,000 additional children (based on existing card holder numbers and 2023 CSO population estimates). Based on the average GMS GP cost per card holder prior to last year's expansion of GP visit card eligibility, adjusted for the increase in capitation rates under the GP Agreement 2023, the additional cost of providing GP care without charges at currently agreed capitation and practice support rates to all children aged 8 to 17 years is estimated at approximately €70 million.

However, the provision of GP care to all children aged under 18 would require the negotiation of new contractual terms with the IMO, and it is likely that this would give rise to additional costs beyond this figure which cannot currently be estimated.

Further more, as the estimation is based on the average GMS GP cost per card holder, it does not take into consideration possible savings from practices that may reach the maximum payable rates from GMS supports that are calculated by panel size. The estimation also does not account for the costs that would arise from the additional practice supports under the GP Agreement 2023. Furthermore, the estimation is only made in relation to GP costs and does not include additional costs that would be borne by the HSE in order to administer the expansion and the increased level of eligibility.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

2410.To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of providing the HPV vaccine for free to adults who have not received it but want to access it through their GP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32879/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.