HEALTH CUTS:THE GOVERNMENT considered confining the abolition of the over 70s medical card scheme to new entrants only but concluded this change wouldn't raise enough savings, Minister for Health Mary Harney confirmed yesterday.
She also confirmed legal advice had been sought by the Government in advance of it axing the automatic entitlement to medical cards for all those over 70 years.
Speaking after an event at Dublin's Rotunda Hospital, Ms Harney said every effort would be made to make the means test process as simple as possible for all older people applying for a medical card.
If only new entrants to the scheme were prevented from automatically getting medical cards it would take a long time to be able to raise the kind of money needed for investment in cancer and other services, she said.
"If I didn't do this I couldn't have continued with the cancer programme because I just wouldn't have had the money to do it, we couldn't have implemented the 'fair deal' next year which is very important for at least 10,000 older people in nursing homes that aren't getting much support, or the 120 therapists that we need, so we just had to make a choice," she added.
To suggestions that the changes might be open to a legal challenge from people who hadn't budgeted for health costs once they reached age 70 because they expected to be automatically given medical cards, she said she didn't believe such challenges would stand up.
"It's not a constitutional right . . . we have got thorough legal advice in relation to this," Ms Harney said.
The abolition of the scheme is set to save €100 million and Ms Harney stressed most of this money would have gone to GPs who got paid four times more for treating non-means tested over 70s medical card holders than others with means tested medical cards. She said the scheme, with more people coming into it next year, would have cost €90 million in doctors fees and about €50 million in drugs costs.
Of the 140,000 people currently over 70 with non-means tested medical cards, about 14,000 will qualify for medical cards when means tested, another 35,000 will get doctor-only cards, and 70,000 will qualify for an annual payment of €400 each to help defray medical costs. About 20,000 will get nothing. Asked if she felt the changes would be politically damaging for the Government, Ms Harney replied: "Well we are living in difficult times." She insisted choices had to be made.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the abolition represented a brutal attack on the elderly in our society, particularly when combined with the halving of tax relief on nursing home fees. "It is the case that nine out of 10 over 70s that have a full medical card will lose that full medical card once the means testing system is introduced.
"These two actions alone amount to a direct and brutal assault on the elderly in our community. It beggars belief that the very people who have paid their way and helped to build our society are being forced to pay again for the failings of Fianna Fáil," Mr Kenny said.
Labour's health spokeswoman Jan O'Sullivan said a backlash against the Government's "mean-spirited" measure was gaining momentum. "It is now time for the Government to swallow their pride, admit that they got this wrong, and restore the card to those they have targeted."
Medical cards means test
THE MEANS test for older people no longer automatically entitled to a medical card on reaching the age of 70 will be the same as the one which has existed up to now for all those over 65 years.
A different means test applies to younger people seeking medical cards.
For those aged 70 years and over who must now undergo a means test when applying for a medical card, the income thresholds below which they will qualify for a card differ depending on whether they are single and living alone, living with family or living as a married couple.
Any person aged 70 or over, who currently holds a non-means tested medical card and is under the weekly net income threshold of €201.50 for a single person living alone, €173.50 for a single person living with family, or €298 for a married couple will qualify for a medical card.
The income thresholds for doctor-only medical cards are higher. A single person living alone who is aged 70 or over will, for example, qualify for one of these cards if their net weekly income is under €302.
The Health Service Executive says that when it is conducting its assessment to see who is eligible it takes assets into account. Where people have savings, investments, land, or own a property other than the family home, a calculation is made to include these types of assets in their means test.
A gross income figure is then arrived at from which the HSE deducts the applicant's income tax and PRSI payments.
The abolition of an automatic entitlement to medical cards for over 70s comes into effect on January 1st next and full details of the assessment guidelines for medical card applicants are on the HSE website at www.hse.ie