Government urged to 'call off the debt collectors' from cancer patients

Social Democrats are calling on the Government to tackle the cost of cancer care

A demand for payment or a threat of court action is 'the last thing somebody with a cancer diagnosis needs,' said Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos

The Social Democrats have called on the Government to tackle the cost of cancer care and stop the use of debt collectors for collecting fees.

The Irish Examiner revealed in December that the HSE has spent over €4m on debt collection agencies since 2013, peaking in 2019 with an outlay of €687,214.

45,000 people receive a cancer diagnosis per year and about 25,000 of those are invasive cancers.

People who do not have private health insurance, or qualify for a medical card, are charged in patient fees, and, according to the HSE, after an invoice is sent, a reminder is sent within 30 days, after which a third-party referral notice to a debt-collection agency is sent seven days later.

The charges are €100 for an emergency department attendance and €80 for an overnight stay. The latter charge is capped at €800 in any 12-month period.

Tomorrow, we'll be calling on the Govt to:

Remove inpatient charges for cancer patients 💰

End the use of debt collectors to pursue these charges 😨

Cap parking fees at hospitals🅿️

Cancer patients have enough on their plates.#CostOfCancer pic.twitter.com/I6zElLAnuY

— Social Democrats (@SocDems) February 1, 2022

The Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall says her party will use their private members' time this week to debate a motion calling on the state to cease the use of debt collectors to pursue those who are seriously ill.

"We're highlighting some of the costs which the government really has responsibility for particular, and that the government could act to remove and we're talking specifically about the inpatient charge, which is €80  per night when the person is receiving chemo or radiology treatment, and that's to a maximum of 800 a year. It's very substantial cost," she said on Tuesday.

Ms Shortall said a lot of people don't realise until they're actually in hospital that they must pay a fee, or find out when they receive a letter they come home and are recovering. 

"We're saying that at this stage, the first step of cancer is inpatients cancer care should be free of charge and to remove that charge for cancer patients," she said.

The other thing of course, is that very often people don't realise the charge applies to them until they get a fairly nasty letter in the post from a debt collector.

"At a time when somebody is grappling with the diagnosis of cancer, following a treatment plan, it's really really disturbing for people to get that kind of [letter] demanding all kinds of things. And those letters are coming within two months of persons failure to pay a bill. So it's very disturbing and it's threatening court action, all kinds of things.

"It's the last thing somebody with a cancer diagnosis needs. They should be concentrating on keeping themselves well and coping with the care plan. They shouldn't have financial worries, and they certainly shouldn't be at the state pursuing them with debt collectors, and we're calling for the government to call off all debt collectors in respect of cancer patients."

Ms Shortall says Government TDs should support the motion: "With the stroke of a pen, they can address this issue."

The removal of the charges is a recommendation for the implementation of the State's health service reform programme, Sláintecare, but there is no timeframe for doing so.