Time to scrap over 70’s Medical Card review – Cummins

Medical card holders who are aged 70 and older should not be subjected to eligibility reviews, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Fine Gael Senator John Cummins said that the reviews, which are currently carried out every three years are costly and unnecessary, given an older person’s financial circumstances are highly unlikely to have altered.

“Currently, to receive a medical card, the income threshold for a single person over the age of 70 is €550 per week, or €1050 for a couple. While I understand the HSE is required to undertake reviews of eligibility to ensure that a person continues to meet the qualifying criteria in order to hold onto their medical card, one has to question if this should occur for the over 70s.” Senator Cummins said.

“In the case of the vast majority of elderly medical card holders, unless they have won the Lotto or started a new job in their eighth decade, their financial situation will not have altered. For those who have been granted a medical card because they have a long-term health condition, it is also highly unlikely that they are no longer in need of medical care.

“I regularly deal with many medical card queries for people of all ages, but this places an unnecessary burden on older people who find it difficult and stressful to gather and submit the required documentation every three years. None of the people I have assisted have had any change in their means since the previous review because they are pensioners on a fixed income and this is not likely to change.

“The Department of Health must conduct a cost-benefit analysis of conducting reviews for this age group. The administration cost to review an older person’s financial and medical documentation must far outweigh any net changes that can occur. It’s time for a common sense approach to be taken – one that would ease a burden of worry on our older population.”