Age Action has called on the Government to review its decision to remove the automatic entitlement to the over-70s medical card, in the light of how the scheme is being administered to date.

“The fact that less than 10% of the estimated number of older people who the Government believed would lose their cards on income eligibility grounds, have handed back their cards is the result of a number of factors which must be addressed,” Age Action spokesman Eamon Timmins said.

There continues to be considerable confusion among older people as to how they calculate their income under the scheme. This has not been helped by contradictory statements from the HSE on the scheme.

Other older people with medical and health conditions fear they could not survive without the services provided by their medical card, although they have incomes above the threshold. “With increasing demand for medical cards, they fear they may not get a general medical card on grounds of medical need or financial hardship,” Mr Timmins said.

Age Action is also coming across holders of over-70s medical cards who insist they have yet to receive official correspondence from the HSE informing them that they have to hand back their cards if they are in breach of the income thresholds.

In addition, we have received calls from a number of older people who are refusing to hand back their cards as they are angry at the way the Government removed this valuable entitlement from them.

“Age Action questions whether the administrative cost and difficulty of trying to take back cards from people who were previously entitled to them is justified,” he said. This justification must be viewed within the context that most of the €100m which the removal of the cards aimed at saving has already been identified without removing a single card. The lower capitation fee for GPs and the findings of a report on more economic prescribing of medications would save over €80m.

“The decision to remove the automatic entitlement to an over-70s medical card must be reversed. If the Government decides to press ahead with the removal of the automatic entitlement then it must provide more information and clarity about the scheme, organise an extensive public information campaign and assist those who have individual queries,” Mr Timmins said.

FOR MEDIA QUERIES CONTACT EAMON TIMMINS, HEAD OF ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATIONS, AGE ACTION. 01-4756989 OR 087-9682449