Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2015
536. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Health his views on whether the changes applied to medical card holders for prescription items discriminates against single persons; that the cap of €25 per month applied to families should be reduced for single persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34431/15]
View answerAt present, medical card holders are required to pay a prescription charge of €2.50 per item for medicines and other prescription items supplied to them by community pharmacists, subject to a cap of €25 per month for each person or family. The extension of the cap to individuals' families is intended to alleviate the financial burden for families in which more than one person is required to take a prescription medicine.
The General Medical Services (medical card) scheme takes account of the different financial challenges facing single persons when setting the income limits for medical card eligibility.
