Older people who have been granted a medical card go to their GP more often and take more medication, according to new research.
One in five over-50s has both a medical card and private health insurance, while one in 10 have neither, the report by researchers at Trinity College Dublin shows.
The number of GP visits jumped 43 per cent after people were given a medical card, and fell 29 per cent among people who lost their card.
The research was carried out before the Government extended free GP care to all over-70s and to children aged under six, but it gives an indication of the pressures this policy may place on the health system.
Gaining a full medical or GP-visit card was associated with an extra 1.3 GP visits a year among the over-50s, the research based on data from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing found.
However, there was no significant change in the probability of this group visiting hospital emergency departments, attending hospital as an in- outpatient, or getting the flu vaccine.
Health insurance
Between 2010 and 2012, 12.6 per cent of the over-50s gained a medical or GP-visit card, and 3.5 lost their card.
The researchers found that in 2012, 39 per cent had a card and no private health insurance, 18 per cent had both, 33 per cent had private health insurance only, and 10 per cent had no cover.
In 2015 the Government announced free GP-care for under-6s and over-70s. The current programme for government includes a commitment to extend free GP care to all those aged under 18.
"These findings have important implications for the Irish healthcare system as free GP care is extended and as we move towards universal healthcare," said report author Dr Anne Nolan.
“One of the key questions is whether the increase in the use of GP services and medications reflects an increase in beneficial care and/or whether those who lose a card are foregoing necessary care.”
She said this would require more detailed research on diagnoses, length of consultation and health outcomes.
