Prescription charges curb abuse of system but it’s vital to protect most vulnerable

At a time when a raft of expensive changes to the healthcare system are under way, it is no surprise the medical card prescription charge was maintained (and increased) in last year’s budget, despite Minister Reilly’s disapproval at its introduction when in opposition.

Medical card prescription charges provide the Government with the opportunity to increase revenues without increasing taxes or reallocating resources. Thus, they have proven to be a valuable source of revenue for the cash-strapped Government — collecting €105m since their introduction in 2010.

Furthermore, the charges are a useful tool for reducing moral hazard among medical card patients. That is, they can reduce wasteful use of healthcare resources by unnecessary prescriptions and/or over-prescribing.