People ‘fall through cracks’ in medical card reviews

Pharmacists should be kept informed when a customer’s medical card is up for review to avoid cases where people find themselves suddenly without the entitlement.

The proposal was made by Labour TD Ciarán Lynch, who said there are a “substantial cohort” of people who are “clearly entitled to hold medical cards” but fall through cracks in the review process.

When a person’s card is up for review, the onus is on them to complete a reform, establishing that they are still entitled to it, and return it to the HSE.

But Mr Lynch told the Dáil there are many people who fail to return the forms, and lose the medical card.

He gave examples including:

* An 80-year-old husband and 73-year-old wife who lost their card “abruptly” and found themselves suddenly having to pay for medication. They had moved house and their new address had not been conveyed to the HSE;

* A man with multiple amputations in his hands and his feet and is “wholly dependent on the kindness of others” and could not fill out the forms in the allocated time. He lost his cover and could not get his regular prescriptions;

* An 84-year-old women with Alzheimer’s who was unable to arrange to have the forms completed herself, and subsequently lost her card;

* A couple with two adult intellectually challenged children, who were months without their cards because the HSE had no record of receiving the forms, which were submitted twice.

Mr Lynch said that in all these cases, the cards were eventually re-instated. But he said if the pharmacies where they get their regular medication were notified, then the patient or the person caring for them could be alerted in advance that their card is up for renewal.

This would involve a “minor alteration” to the review process, would cost nothing to the State but would “make life much easier for a substantial group of vulnerable people”.

The Cork South Central TD people who lose their cards temporarily because of the processing system are “penalised because they are not reimbursed for any medication they pay for during that time”.

Junior health minister Alex White said he would consider the proposal.