Varadkar seeks single application form as part of medical card reform
Although he has not yet brought his plans for reform of the medical card system to Cabinet, he hopes to be able to do so after outlining them to the Cabinet health sub-committee next Monday.
Among the proposals is that, although the first step will still be to assess applicants based on means, the same application form would be used for those outside the income thresholds.
âIf you donât pass the means test, then there will be a discretionary test which is in and around a terminal illness and medical hardship, and that will be assessed by a doctor actually. And then there will be a third kind of recheck so,â he told Pat Kenny on Newstalk radio.
The plans are being finalised as likely policy moves away from the earlier Government plan to give cards to people with conditions from a list of serious illnesses, something which independent experts are reported to have told the minister could not be done in a clear ethical way.
After controversy over the withdrawal of discretionary medical cards earlier this year, Mr Varadkar said that the idea is to maintain the means testing system but to have a wider and more compassionate discretionary system.
There may also be changes to award a medical card to a very sick child rather than to their entire family, but he suggests the related hardships such as a parent having to give up or take time off work would continue to be taken into account.
The minister, who took over from James Reilly in July, believes there should not necessarily be a yearly review of medical cards for terminally-ill people. âI donât see why the review couldnât be put off to every three years or every five years, or even not just do it at all,â he said.
He added that said there will always be anomalies and unfairness with any system based on means tests or hardship test, which is why the long-term plan is to have universal healthcare.
