Over 200,000 people now eligible for free GP care. Are you one of them?
Many people who see their GP on a private basis may now be eligible for a GP visit card. Picture: PA
Some 215,000 people are now eligible for free GP care as access is expanded from today, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said.
The expansion is part of a scheme that will eventually see 430,000 people getting GP cards, based on income levels.
Mr Donnelly said the move is a significant milestone.
“Many people, aged between eight and 69, who currently see their GP on a private basis may now be eligible for a means-tested GP visit card,” he said.
“A simplified online application process is available from today on the HSE website. This expansion of the GP visit card scheme will help people to manage the cost-of-living challenges we face, and I encourage those who may be eligible to apply now.”
The cards cover GP visits only, and do not cover medicine. Free GP care is only available to people with these cards.
The amount someone can earn and still be eligible for a means-tested GP visit card varies depending on circumstance.
The weekly threshold for a single person living alone is now €361, and for a single person living with family it is now €322.
The weekly threshold for a couple with or without dependant(s) and for single parents is now €524. In both cases a weekly allowance per dependant is added to the threshold.
The move is part of a deal between the Department of Health, HSE, and the Irish Medical Organisation, representing GPs.
From mid-November a further 215,000 people become eligible for the means-tested cards.
Children aged under eight and people aged 70 and over are already automatically eligible for a GP visit card.
A new dedicated online application process for means tested GP visit cards is now live at www.hse.ie/GPVisitCards
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