Revised medical card system will be flexible, Kenny says

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said the Government’s revised medical cards system will be flexible and contain an element of local input and discretion.

Speaking on his way into Government Buildings for this morning's Cabinet meeting, he said changes to the medical card system will be announced by Minister for Health Leo Varadkar at 3pm today.

“We’ve listened very carefully to the concerns that have been raised by people,” he said.

“I expect the Minister flexibilities and the element of local input and discretion that will apply.”

The Cabinet last week agreed a package of measures designed to put to bed the controversy over discretionary medical cards, a topic that dogged the Government parties earlier in the year.

The new approach includes a return to local assessment of some discretionary medical cards, the removal of the requirement for people with terminal illnesses to renew their cards every 12 months and improvements to the way the Health Service Executive processes applications to make the system more humane and compassionate.

Mr Varadkar and Minister of State for Primary Care Kathleen Lynch are also expected to publish the Keane report on awarding medical cards on the basis of medical need and a Prospectus report on the processing of medical cards by the HSE.

It is expected that decisions on awarding cards on a discretionary basis will be on the basis of a person’s medical condition and needs rather than on the basis of a list of specific medical conditions.

The latter approach was suggested by former Minister for Health James Reilly but ruled out an unfeasible by the expert advisory group he set up to examine the issue, which was chaired by Prof Frank Keane.