Budget cuts to cost 40,000 their medical cards

More than 40,000 people will lose their medical cards, due to new income eligibility changes ann-ounced in the budget and further cuts by the HSE.

The HSE said that in 2013 an extra €60m would be taken from the budget for the primary care reimbursement service. This fund is used to pay doctors, dentists, and pharmacists who provide care at reduced costs to medical card holders.

The HSE plans to hit its target through extra scrutiny of medical card entitlements and by cutting back on the cover for hi-tech drugs.