Stigma and admin burden among reasons for not taking up medical cards

Families who are entitled to a medical card but don’t avail of the option spend nearly €500 more on private health insurance than those who do, according to new research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)

The paper finds that while take-up of medical cards among families is higher than that for individuals, some are still not opting to get one.

The research suggests a number of reasons for this, including lack of awareness, difficulties in filling in the application form, stigma and confusion about eligibility and the benefits on offer.

The study indicates that those who do not take up medical cards are significantly more likely to report having an unmet health need due to financial reasons and to spend much more on healthcare per year.

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Families entitled to a medical card but who fail to get one spend an additional €202 annually on healthcare and €489 annually on private health insurance, compared to families who hold the card. This equates to over 3 per cent of their average annual income.

Negative financial implications

“These findings show that non-take-up of a medical card has significant negative financial implications for those affected. Given the scheme is aimed at families on lower incomes this is particularly worrying. Negative effects of foregoing a medical card are likely to be even higher due to reduced medical care use, which may result in poorer health outcomes,” the report authors said.

The authors – Claire Keane, Mark Regan and Brendan Walsh – said the expansion of universal healthcare, as proposed by Sláintecare, may help to solve many of the issues of non-take up of medical cards uncovered in their research.