*Down Syndrome Ireland is calling on the government to restore all medical cards that have been removed from people over the past two years.
The call comes following an announcement by junior health minister Alex White that the review of discretionary medical cards is to be suspended, pending a re-evaluation of the policy.
It's understood that cards that were removed could be restored once the review has been completed and new legislation drafted.
"We would be calling for the immediate restoration of those cards that have been revoked in the last two years," said CEO of Down Syndrome Ireland, Pat Clarke.
"This review has been going on for over two years - it didn't just arise last November, it's been going on for quite some time," he said.
"I know the Government has said that all of these cards will be restored … once the new legislative framework has been put in place. That's not acceptable."
*The review of discretionary medical cards is to stop with immediate affect.
The Minister with Responsibility for Primary Care, Alex White made the announcement in the Dáil this afternoon.
He said that a policy framework that will take into account medical need in the case of issuing a discretionary medical card is to be developed.
He said that this process will involve “new legislative frame work as necessary”.
White added that the government were “very aware of the public’s concern” surrounding medical cards.
A panel of experts will be established by the HSE to assess conditions that would qualify on medical need. They will be charged with drawing up conditions that would qualify for a card.
In the interim, the review of discretionary medical cards will cease.
No timeline has been given as to when these changes will take place.
Discretionary medical cards
Yesterday, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that a set of proposals, that would “fix” the situation where discretionary medical cards are being removed from sick children, were being made to the sub-committee for Health.
The Minister for Finance Michael Noonan also made a statement saying that it was completely “unacceptable”.
Discretionary medical cards are awarded to people by the HSE on a discretionary basis. They are given, not on the basis of means, but comes under the term of whether the person is experiencing “undue financial hardship”.
Our Children’s Campaign, which was only set up over a week ago, met with the Taoiseach as he entered Government Buildings today.
Promise
He pledged to them this morning that he would do something about it.
Over 60,000 people have signed their petition.
Today’s announcement is a big win for the group, who say while they welcome the announcement that medical cards would be issued on medical need rather than financial need, they still had a number of questions about the proposals.
Reacting to the announcement Peter Fitzpatrick from Our Children’s Health said:
There are a lot of parents that have had their medical card taken off them and they have not had it for a year, two years, even three years. We would like to know if they will be re-assessing those families.
The group have called on the government to amend the Health Act of 1970 so that any child diagnosed with a serious illness or congenital condition is automatically entitled to a full medical card.
Revoking of medical cards
TheJournal.ie obtained figures from the HSE this week that from January 2013 to April 2014 there was a fall-off of 16,000 discretionary medical cards.
Of those eligible in January 2013, only 78 per cent were eligible 14 months later.
In a statement from the HSE, they said that nearly 42 per cent of the population (1,925,348) people, now have access to free GP care – 39 per cent medical card and 3 per cent GP visit card.
As of 1 April, there are 1,779,103 medical cards of which 49,596 are discretionary.
Earlier this week, the HSE told TheJournal.ie that it has been reviewing medical cards, where there is a long term medical condition, stating that they are carried out in “good faith”.
They said the “intended only to assist the applicant by capturing all relevant information that would give rise to undue financial hardship occurring to provide for medical care”.
The HSE said that one of the elements of the renewal process where cards on discretion are concerned is to request an up to date medical report.
“This is done in good faith, and should not be interpreted as asking a client to reconfirm that he/she still has a permanent or long term chronic condition,” they said.
Speaking about all medical cards, not just discretionary, the Department of Health said there is no “cull” of medical cards.
-----------------*Minister of State for Primary Care Alex White has told the Dáil that the review of discretionary medical cards is to be suspended.
The decision was taken following a meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Health this morning.
The Health Service Executive will now set up a panel of experts to look at developing a new system where cards could be allocated based on medical need, the minister said.
A policy paper will also be drawn up to examine what legislation may be required to introduce the new system.
The review was heavily criticised amid widespread reports of people with long-term medical conditions losing their cards.
It was one of the biggest issues on the doorstep for politicians in the lead up to the Local and European Elections last week.
The HSE earlier said the medical card scheme is based on the Health Act 1970, which provides for cards on the basis of financial means.
It said medical card eligibility is reviewed on a regular basis and 644,853 reviews were conducted last year.
The HSE said that at the end of February this year, assessments had been concluded in 482,866 cases. It said 96.4% of those people continued to hold their card.
The HSE said today that it welcomed the Government's decision and said reviews currently under way will be suspended.
It also said no further reviews will take place "pending the outcome of the development of the new policy framework by Government".
The Irish Medical Organisation has said medical cards should be restored to those who have had them removed in recent months.
Opposition criticises Government
Fianna Fáil's Colm Keaveney welcomed what he said was the Government heeding the warnings of the Opposition.
He said it was unfortunate for the families of sick children that it had not happened earlier.
Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe said the move was clearly a reaction to the anger on the doorsteps, and more detail was needed on what the announcement meant.
Independent Finian McGrath said the criterion should always be the medical condition involved, particularly in the case of young people.
Keywords: medical card
The group began demonstrating outside Government Buildings this week, with a 20 foot banner, pledging that they will be there every day until the situation where discretionary medical cards being removed from ill children is dealt with.
This morning, Kenny met the group and told the campaigners that he planned to do something about it, telling them: “This isn’t the Ireland we all know.”
Peter Fitzpatrick, co-founder of the group, told the Taoiseach about their petition.
In just ten days nearly 60,000 people have signed the petition calling on legislation to be changed that will legally entitle any child diagnosed with a serious illness of congenital condition to a full medical card.
Petition
“We said to him that almost 60,000 people have now clearly said that every seriously ill child should be legally entitled to a medical card – that we are appealing to him directly and that this policy change must come from him.”
Yesterday, Kenny said in the Dáil that he would “fix” the problem, saying that proposals were going to sub committee today.
He said “the whole process, the way of dealing with these, is not the way I want it to be”.
Fitzpatrick told TheJournal.ie that they “would wait to see what comes out today”.
--------------Families with children who have severe health problems are to picket the Dáil "indefinitely" until laws are re-written to give them an automatic right to medical card help. The call for action was made recently on the birthday of a nine-year-old girl facing a dual battle against leukaemia and HSE red-tape over the issue.
LINK To Photo Album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/100853986949465414816/ourchildrenshealthmedicalcards
The father-of-three from Clondalkin in Dublin said since his daughter was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in April 2012, she has received world-class care at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin.
However, despite immediately applying for a medical card on the advice of doctors, he and his wife, Tracey, have faced a “constant battle” with HSE officials over access to the help.
As a result, to mark his daughter’s birthday today the family will launch a nationwide campaign to force the Government to repeal the 1970 Health Act.
The legislation is the reason why medical cards can only be provided based on financial hardship and not on health needs.
But while it allows for discretionary medical cards for people who are over the income threshold, the Our Children’s Health campaign wants this to be changed to allow anyone with a serious medical condition to automatically receive the help.
The campaign website, www.ourchildrenshealth.ie has been launched recently and contact can be made at info@ourchildrenshealth.ie.
----------------
UPDATE:
- TheJournal.ie - Number of discretionary medical cards falls by over 16,000
Figures obtained from from the Health Service Executive (HSE) by TheJournal.ie shows that on 1 January 2013 over 63,126 were eligible for a discretionary medical card.
In April 2014, of that group of people who were deemed eligible under a discretionary assessment process, just 46,535 had a discretionary medical card.
Fall-off
In 14 months the number of discretionary medical cards awarded to those in January 2013 fell by over 16,591.
The figures show that in January 2013, in total, over 78,959 people had eligibility for discretionary cards – including GP and medical cards.
Of these people, over 15,833 people were given GP visit cards.
However, fast forward to April 2014, and the number of people with GP cards has decreased to 15,036.
No longer eligible
The HSE states that of those that were eligible for a discretionary cards – both GP and medical – in January 2013 (78,959), only 78 per cent (61,571) of those people were deemed eligible in April 2014.
This means that of those that had discretionary cards in January 2013, 22 per cent are deemed no longer eligible by the HSE for any card – GP or medical.
Of this 78 per cent – the breakdown is that 15,036 were able to get GP Visit Cards eligibility, while 46,535 were eligible for discretionary medical cards.
The Department of Health said that the latest figures as of April 2014, shows that there were 1,799,103 medical cards in total.
The Health Act 1970
The HSE said in a statement to TheJournal.ie that “it is important to stress that the medical card system is based on The Health Act 1970 which provides for medical cards on the basis of means. The HSE must operate within the legal parameters of the scheme and within these every effort is made to ensure that the system responds to the variety of circumstances and complexities faced by individuals who apply for a medical card”.
Last week, a campaign called Our Children’s Health was launched calling on the government to amend the Health Act of 1970 so that any child diagnosed with a serious illness or congenital condition is automatically entitled to a full medical card.
In five days, over 50,000 people have signed their petition.
The HSE clarified that a discretionary medical card can be given if a person’s income is over the threshold, “if the circumstances are such that a person cannot access GP or other medical services, without undue financial hardship”.
Proof and documentation
When asked why parents are asked to provide documentation and proof to the HSE of their child’s condition upon review of the card, the HSE said:
… a medical card is based on an assessment of financial means, and that these can change, the HSE conducts reviews of medical card eligibility.If a person has been refused a medical card and is not satisfied with the decision, they may have the application reassessed. Circumstances may have changed, or they may have left out some relevant information from the original application.If following this reassessment an applicant is still not satisfied they may make an appeal to the Appeals Office of the relevant HSE Area.
The HSE said that “most” medical cards are awarded for three years following eligibility assessment.
When a renewal of a card is sought the HSE said that “it does not mean that proof is required for what are life-long conditions but it does include an update on medical treatment that may be underway and that may be incurring costs for the family”.
‘Good faith’
They added that review of medical cards, where there is a long term medical condition, are carried out in “good faith” and any questions in relation to up to date medical circumstances are “intended only to assist the applicant by capturing all relevant information that would give rise to undue financial hardship occurring to provide for medical care”.
The HSE said that one of the elements of the renewal process where cards on discretion are concerned is to request an up to date medical report.
“This is done in good faith, and should not be interpreted as asking a client to reconfirm that he/she still has a permanent or long term chronic condition,” they said.
Speaking about all medical cards, not just discretionary, the Department of Health said there is no “cull” of medical cards.
They said the change in the number of existing medical cards is purely “dependent on the extent of ineligibility detected”.
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