‘Ghost’ medical card bill costs us €210m

Medical cards for people who are dead, have left the country or are no longer entitled to them are costing the taxpayer as much as €210m a year.

A major review of payments to GPs who treat medical card patients has found large numbers of “redundant cards” are still being paid for by the exchequer — despite there being no need for their existence.

The review of the Primary Care Reimbursement Scheme, drawn up by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on behalf of the HSE, said “ghost” cards are costing the State between €65m and €210m every year.