The Government's pre-election promise to provide an additional 200,000 medical cards will cost around €180 million annually, according to new calculations carried out by the Department of Health.
The Government is believed to considering an extension of the medical card scheme as part of the 2005 financial estimates. The Government has come under strong attack over the last two years for failing to deliver on its commitment in the 2001 National Health Strategy and the current Programme for Government to provide an additional 200,000 medical cards.
Rather than rising, the number of people covered by medical cards has fallen in recent years.
According to figures released by the Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Ms Harney, the projected €180 million bill for providing 200,000 additional medical cards is based on the cost of the scheme in 2003, and would include fees paid to doctors, pharmacists and the cost of drugs and medicines.
However, she warned that there would be other costs associated with the extension of the medical cards scheme, including the provision of dental and ophthalmic services.
Last week the Department of Health released other figures, in response to parliamentary questions, revealing that it would cost €115 million annually to provide medical cards for all children under 18.
However, Ms Harney warned at the time that this bill could prove to be higher as the provision of medical cards to an entire class of patients such as children would involve negotiations with the Irish Medical Organisation, which represents general practitioners and other groups.
The Government, however, would have scope, under existing contractual arrangements, to extend the medical card by raising the income eligibility threshold without triggering new fee demands from doctors.
The current medical card contract allows for up to 40 per cent of the population to be covered by the scheme.
The Irish Times revealed this month that there are now 100,000 fewer people covered by medical cards than there were when the Fianna Fáil/PD coalition was first elected in 1997.
The Opposition, the medical profession and groups working with low-income families have complained in recent years that the current income thresholds for medical-card eligibility were too low. At present the income ceiling for a couple is around €206 per week.
Over the last two years the Government has said that it did not have the resources to implement the commitment to provide 200,000 additional medical cards, but maintained that it would do so over the lifetime of the Government.
