Healthcare in Ireland Medical Cards Medical Cards allow people to access Family Doctor or GP services, community health services, dental services, prescription medicine costs, hospital care and a range of other benefits free of charge. Medical Cards are issued by the HSE (Health Service Executive) Local Health Offices nationwide, and these offices also accept and carry out the assessment of your application. Important Note! From April 2010 - A prescription charge of €0.50 per item prescribed will be charged to all Medical Card holders. Most people who get a Medical Card do so because their income is below a certain level. In assessing means for Medical Card Applications, the HSE only considers income after tax and PRSI is deducted, rather than total income.  Allowances are also made for expenses on childcare, on rent and mortgage costs and on travel to work. It is also possible to get a Medical Card if the applicant can show that the costs of meeting their medical needs will cause financial hardship: Example: If the applicant has an ongoing medical condition that requires exceptional and regular medical treatment, or visits to the doctor or hospital and the cost of this would cause undue financial hardship, then they may get a card on these grounds. The HSE always considers other exceptional circumstances where a person or family has personal or social issues causing undue financial hardship. The card may be granted for the whole family, or for individual members of a family on the grounds of undue financial hardship. GP Visit Only Cards Certain people in Ireland who do not qualify for a full Medical Card may apply for a GP (family doctor) Visit Card. The allowable income guidelines for this card are set at a higher level. GP Visit Cards allow individuals and families who qualify, to visit their family doctor for free. Any prescribed drugs associated with your GP visit have to be paid for. Entitlement to a Medical Card under EU Regulations If you belong to one of the following groups, you will get a Medical Card under EU Regulations: (A) You are living in Ireland and receiving a social security payment from another European Union /European Economic Area (EU/EEA) country or Switzerland and you are not getting any* Irish social welfare payment (apart from Child Benefit or Early Childcare Supplement). You must not be employed or self employed here. *Important Note! Anyone in receipt of a part Irish or Pre 53 Pension will be assessed under the means test, not under EU regulations. (B) You are living in Ireland and working in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland and are liable to pay Social Insurance Contributions in that country. (C) You are living in Ireland and you are the dependent spouse or child of someone employed in another EU/EEA country and Switzerland. You must not be getting an Irish Social Welfare Payment apart from Child Benefit or Early Childcare Supplement and you must not be liable to contribute to the Irish social welfare system. Means Test - Allowable Income Levels Category Medical Card Rate € GP Visit Card Rate € Single Person Living Alone     Aged up to 65 years 184 276 Aged between 66 - 69 years 201.50 302 Single Person Living with Family Aged up to 65 years 164 246 Aged between 66 - 69 years 173.50 260 Married Couple/Single Parent with dependant children Aged up to 65 years 265.50 400 Aged between 66 - 69 years 298 447 Additional Allowances      Reasonable Weekly Rent/Mortgage Reasonable Weekly Child Care Costs Weekly Travel Costs to Work: (Actual cost of public transport or Mileage @ €0.50 per mile) Additional Allowances: Dependants     Allowance for first 2 children under 16 38 57 Allowance for 3rd & subsequent children under 16 41 61.50 Allowance for first 2 children over 16 financially dependant on applicant 39 58.50 Allowance for 3rd + subsequent children over 16 financially dependant on applicant 42.50 64 Allowance for dependant over 16 years in full time 3rd level education and not grant aided 78 117 For people aged 70 years and over From 1st January 2009, automatic entitlement to the Medical Card for people aged 70 years and over was abolished. Everyone now applying for a medical card will be assessed on the basis of their means, or income. Weekly Allowable Income for over 70’s: euro700 for an individual euro1400 for a couple Capital (savings and investments). For those aged over 70 years, it is only the actual interest earned on capital that is taken into account, not the capital amount. Income from savings up to the first euro36,000 for a single person and euro72,000 for a couple is not counted. Note 2: * Over 70’s Medical Card application that includes a spouse under 70 years *: Where one spouse is aged over 70 years and the other spouse is aged under 70 years, they will both qualify for a medical card if their income is below €1,400 a week. Decisions on Medical Card applications are usually made within a number of weeks. If you are not satisfied with the decision, you may have it reviewed at your Local Health Office. Your circumstances may have changed or you may have left out some relevant information from the original application. If following this you are still not satisfied - you may appeal to the Appeals Office of your HSE Area. (The contact details will be contained in your letter of refusal). The Appeals Office will conduct a reassessment of your application. This will be conducted by HSE staff not involved in deciding on your original application. If you are not entitled to a Medical Card you will automatically be assessed for a GP Visit Card. If you are not entitled to a Medical Card or a GP Visit Card there are other HSE schemes that you can apply for. You may find these schemes can ease the financial cost of providing medical care for yourself and your family. Drugs Payment Scheme Under the Drugs Payment Scheme, an individual or family in Ireland has to pay €132 each month for approved prescribed drugs, medicines and certain appliances for use by that person or his or her family in that month. The amount is determined from time to time by the Minister for Health and Children. If you have a GP Visit Card or do not have a Medical Card you should apply for a Drugs Payment Scheme Card. This scheme is aimed at those who don't have a Medical Card and normally have to pay the full cost of their medication. It also applies to those who have a GP Visit Card. Anyone ordinarily resident in Ireland can apply to join the scheme, regardless of family, financial circumstances or nationality. Being ordinarily resident in Ireland means that you have been living here for a minimum of one year or that you intend to live here for a minimum of one year. Drugs Payment Scheme: How much will I pay? You will not pay more than €132 for all your prescribed approved medication each calendar month. This maximum amount is subject to review by the Government from time to time. You must present your card each time you attend the pharmacy before a prescription can be dispensed. For details of the maximum amount please refer to the Drugs Payment Scheme and Medical Card rates leaflet. There are a number of items that legally do not require a prescription but for inclusion under the scheme they do require a doctor's prescription. How do I qualify You must be ordinarily resident in Ireland and hold a PPSN. There is no means test for the Drugs Payment Scheme. Long Term Illness Scheme If you have certain long-term illnesses or disabilities, you may apply to join the Long Term Illness Scheme and you will be supplied with a Long Term Illness book. This book allows you to get drugs, medicines, and medical and surgical appliances directly related to the treatment of your illness, free of charge. It does not depend on your income or other circumstances and is separate from the Medical Card Scheme and the GP Visit Card Scheme. If you already have been given a Medical Card, you do not need to apply for a Long Term Illness book. If you become ineligible for a Medical Card at any stage, but have one of the medical conditions below, you should apply to join the Long Term Illness scheme to cover the cost of your medication. How do I qualify? You must be ordinarily resident in Ireland and hold a PPSN. You qualify if you have one of the illnesses or disabilities listed below: Acute Leukaemia Phenylketonuria Mental handicap Haemophilia Cerebral Palsy Spina Bifida Mental Illness (in a person under 16) Hydrocephalus Cystic Fibrosis Conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide Multiple Sclerosis Epilepsy Diabetes Insipidus Diabetes Mellitus Muscular Dystrophies Parkinsonism A Long-Term Illness book will be issued to you if you are approved for the scheme. This book contains the type and quantity of the drugs or medicines you need for your prescribed illness. Your doctor will sign it and you can then bring this to the pharmacy when you need any of the items. If your doctor or occupational therapist prescribes a medical or surgical appliance, it will be supplied to you from your Local Health Office. There is no separate application form for medical/surgical appliances - your doctor lists the type of appliance in your book and signs it. There is no income requirement or means test. If you have a medical condition that is not listed above, you should consider applying for a Medical Card or a GP Visit Card. Accident & Emergency Regardless of whether or not you have a Medical Card, unless you have a referral letter from your G.P when you present at A&E, you will be charged for the service. Private Health Insurance Prior to moving to Ireland you should discuss with your current insurance provider the possibility of having some ‘breathing space’ cover while you sort out an alternative. Our information is that no foreign health Insurance transfers. Private Health Insurance in Ireland operates on a ‘community rated’ basis which means that insurers must charge the same premium for a particular level of cover regardless of age, gender or health status. They cannot base their insurance policies on risk. Irish health insurance legislation also provides for ‘open enrolment’ which means that insurance companies must make insurance cover available to people aged under 65 years of age regardless of whether or not they were insured before. The law in Ireland also provides for ‘life cover’ which means that once you are registered for health insurance cover you cannot be told by the company that they are no longer willing to insure you, except in very exceptional circumstances. The taking out of private health insurance in  Ireland  is  essentially  a  voluntary  decision  on  the  part  of the individual.

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