Gilmore: Elderly people "harassed" by medical card system

Elderly people are being "harassed" due to changes in the medical card system, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has admitted.

The Labour leader said there was a “problem” with the way reviews of those entitled to the health benefit were carried out.

Fianna Fáil health spokesman Billy Kelleher called for the Tánaiste to get a grip on the situation, as he said people were being asked if their Down syndrome or motor neurone disease had improved as part of the official questioning.

Mr Gilmore said a change in the way the review was being carried out was needed, but told TDs 96% of people assessed had kept their medical cards.

“I accept there is a problem with the way in which the review of discretionary medical cards is carried out. There are a number of problems, as I see it. People who are reviewed once are very often reviewed again a number of times.

“In particular for older people, it constitutes a degree of harassment where somebody receives letters again and again within a very short period of time essentially asking the same questions. There is no justification whatever for somebody getting a letter asking if his or her child still has Down syndrome or somebody getting a letter asking if he or she still has motor neurone disease. That type of approach must be dealt with,” Mr Gilmore told the Dáil.

The Labour leader called for an end to repeat reviews for people with cards. “Where a review takes place, there should be a freeze on that person being reviewed again for a period of time. Where it is proposed to withdraw a medical card, a reasonable period of time should be given to that person to enable them to appeal the decision,” he said.

Mr Kelleher called for the Tánaiste to reverse policy on providing free GP care to all children under six regardless of family income, and divert that money to medical card needs. “What is unfair is asking the oldest and the sickest to pay free GP care for those under the age of six which will, in many cases, be given to healthy and wealthy people.

“The Irish people are very fair when it comes to deciding whether free GP care for all those under six should be funded by taking discretionary medical cards from the oldest and the sickest society.

“Even at this late stage, would the Government not revisit that policy where it is taking cards from children with Down syndrome, who are over six, elderly people who have life-limiting illnesses and conditions, people with motor neurone disease and people who have had double mastectomies? What is happening is criminal,” Mr Kelleher told the Dáil.