Not one of extra 30,000 medical cards taken up

NOT one of the 30,000 extra full medical cards allocated to low-income earners this year has been taken up by the public, the Department of Health confirmed yesterday.

Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney secured €30 million in Budget 2005 to provide these.

But despite two national media publicity campaigns alerting people to the increases in income qualifying thresholds and extra expenses allowances, there has been no rise in the 1.1 million full medical card holders since January and the €30m has not been spent.

A department spokesperson said: "None of the extra 30,000 full medical cards have been taken up and we are currently reviewing the present guidelines to bring them more in line with income level improvements."

Asked why there was such a bad uptake, the spokesperson said: "Incomes in the traditional low-paid service sectors have now outpaced the guidelines - young people starting work can now earn up to €8.50 an hour."

This is the equivalent of €360 a week or €18,720 a year. A single person with a net weekly income of over €153.50 a week or €7,982 a year cannot qualify for the full medical cards.

A married couple looking for the card cannot earn over €222 a week or €11,544 a year.

This prompted Labour yesterday to accuse the Government of "deliberately" keeping the qualifying levels low to save money.

Health spokeswoman Liz McManus said: "These extra full medical cards were launched amid huge fanfare by Health Minister Mary Harney along with the 200,000 doctor-only medical cards - it is quite shocking that not one of the full medical cards have been taken up."

The Government must now substantially increase these qualifying thresholds if low-income people have any chance of getting the medical cards, she said.

FG's health spokesman Dr Liam Twomey accused the Government of taking the full medical card from 100,000 low-income people since they came to power.

"One in three people had the full medical card when this Government first came to power. Now only one-in-five people have it - this is even less low-income people because this figure includes all the over-70s who have free medical cards," he said.