Medical card

Information

A medical card allows you to get certain health services free of charge. Usually, your dependent spouse and children are also covered for the same range of health services.

Medical cards are small plastic cards (similar in size to a credit card). Your medical card will show your doctor's name. It is usually issued for a year, after which it is reviewed.

Health services covered by the medical card

If you have a medical card, you are entitled to:

• Free GP (family doctor) services
• Prescribed drugs and medicines* (with some exceptions)
• In-patient public hospital services, out-patient services and medical appliances
• Dental, optical and aural services
• Maternity and infant care services
• Some personal and social care services, for example, public health nursing, social work services and other community care services
• A maternity cash grant of €10.16 on the birth of each child

Budget 2010

*A 50 cent charge per prescription item is being introduced for medical card and Long Term Illness Card holders, subject to a monthly ceiling of €10 per family. New legislation is required to give effect to this; the expected implementation date is 1st April 2010.

Medical card holders who are also working do not pay the health levy part of social insurance or the income levy introduced in 2009. They may also be exempt from paying school transport charges for primary and post-primary education and State exam fees in publicly-funded second-level schools. There may also be financial help with buying school books in certain schools.

If you don’t qualify for a medical card

If you do not qualify for a medical card on income grounds, you may qualify for a GP visit card. A GP visit card entitles you to free visits to GPs (family doctors). It is means tested, but the income limits are higher than for the medical card.

Rules

Income guidelines

To get a medical card your income must be below a certain amount (see table below).

To find your weekly income the HSE will carry out a means test. A means test is when the HSE examines all your sources of income to test if they fall below a certain level. Sometimes a certain amount of income or income from particular sources is not taken into account.

In general, if you are getting the maximum rate of a means-tested payment (for example, Jobseeker’s Allowance), you will get a medical card without having to undergo a further means test.

Weekly income limit (Gross, less tax and PRSI)

Couples income limit is based on the age of the older person. Your income is assessed in different ways, depending on whether you are aged under or over 70 years of age.

Lone parents with dependants are assessed under the income limits for married persons.

Means test

To find your weekly income the HSE will carry out a means test. A means test is when the HSE examines all your sources of income to find out if they fall below a certain amount (see table above).

Allowed deductions from your income

Reasonable expenses incurred in respect of childcare costs and rent or mortgage payments will also be allowed. (There is however, no exact definition of what 'reasonable expenses' actually means in relation to housing or childcare costs).

Weekly travel costs to work (the actual cost of public transport or mileage at 30 cent per mile/18 cent per km) are also allowed.

Capital

All capital (savings and investments) is taken into account for medical card purposes. It is assessed as follows to calculate your weekly means:

Capital Weekly means assessed First €36,000 (single), €72,000 (couple): Nil
Next €10,000: €1 per €1,000
Next €10,000: €2 per €1,000
Balance (e.g. capital in excess of €36,000/€72,000): €4 per €1,000

Income not taken into account

Certain compensation awards are not taken into account when assessing income for medical card purposes:

• Compensation payments made by the Residential Institutions Redress Board
• Repayments made under the Health (Repayment) Scheme
• Awards made to people who contracted Hepatitis C or HIV from contaminated blood products (together with income from the investment of that money).

Certain payments made by the State:

• HSE payments:Foster Care Allowance, Mobility Allowance, Blind Welfare Allowance, weekly supplements paid under the SWA scheme
• Social Welfare payments: Family Income Supplement, Child Benefit, Carers Allowance, Domiciliary Care Allowance Guardian Payments (e.g. orphans pensions) and the Free Fuel, Island, Living Alone and Over 80 Allowances.
• Other payments: Third Level Educational Maintenance Grants, Rehabilitation Maintenance Allowance, earnings from employment of a Rehabilitative Nature (up to €120.00 per week).

You can get some worked examples of how your income will be calculated/assessed.

Further information

Return to work

If you getting a Jobseeker’s Benefit or Jobseeker’s Allowance for at least 12 months, you may keep your medical card for up to 3 years when you return to work.

Moving home

You can use your medical card for up to 3 months if you are living temporarily in a different area. In this case, you can attend any GP in the area who takes part in the medical card scheme.

If you are going to be away longer than 3 months, you should apply to the Local Health Office of that area, for a medical card. If you move to a different part of your own HSE Administrative Area, you can apply to change your doctor.

More information

The HSE has a Guide to Medical Cards, dealing with frequently asked questions.

How to apply

To apply fill in a medical card application form.. You can get the application form and a list of participating GPs from your local health centre or Local Health Office.

You must choose a GP from the list of participating doctors. If the GP accepts you as a patient, he or she must also sign the application form.

The GP you select must generally have his or her practice within 7 miles of where you live. The GP must agree to accept you as a patient. Find out more about GP services for medical card holders.

If you are getting a social welfare payment, the form has to be stamped at the Social Welfare Local Office. Self-employed people have to submit their most recent tax assessment form or set of trading accounts. If you are working your employer also has to sign the form and certify your earnings.

The application form should be returned to the Local Health Office. If your income is above the guidelines you will automatically be assessed for the GP visit card.

You can check the status of your medical card application at .

Appeals

If you have been refused a medical card and are not satisfied with the decision, you can ask for a review of the decision at your Local Health Office.

If you are not happy with the outcome of the review you may make an appeal to the Appeals Office of your HSE Area. The Appeals Office will conduct a reassessment of your application. This will be conducted by HSE staff not involved in deciding on your original application.

Where to apply

A Medical Card is issued by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Contact your local health centre or Local Health Office if you have any questions about medical cards and eligibility.

You can also contact the HSE Infoline: Callsave 1850 24 18 50.