Medical card ‘no guarantee’ of free care

Medical card holders may find their free health care entitlements cancelled despite having cards with a future expiry date, the HSE has confirmed.

The HSE yesterday said that “merely being in possession of a medical card/ GP visit card with a future expiry date does not, in itself, confer eligibility on the cardholder”.

A Cork woman had to fork out €144 towards medication costs for herself and her husband last month, despite having a valid family medical card. The woman, who did not wish to be identified, said the expiry date on her card was Mar 31, but when she went to a pharmacy to pick up prescriptions on Mar 22, her card had been cancelled.