Free GP care to be extended to 6- and 7-year olds from next month

GPs are to be paid extra for most of their existing medical card patients under a deal to extend free care to an additional 500,000 people.

Free GP care will be extended to 78,000 six- and seven-year-olds from August 11th, and to people earning less than the median household income from September, the Government has announced.

The changes, which have been repeatedly promised by Government but delayed, mean newly eligible card-holders won’t have to pay to see their GP - which can cost up to €70 a visit - though they will have to pay for medicines.

Increases of up to 10 per cent in the capitation grant paid to GPs for existing medical card holders, along with €30 million to help them recruit extra staff and €2 million for out-of-hours services, helped get the deal over the line with the Irish Medical Organisation.

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It was announced in Budget 2023 but was delayed by opposition from GPs, who said they would be unable to cope with the additional workload. Long-running talks with the IMO were completed last week.

The measures, projected last year to cost €111 million, now have a price-tag of €130 million.

The extension of free GP care on income grounds will take place in two phases, on September 11th and November 13th. Once it is done, more than half the population will have a GP visit card or full medical card.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said any further expansion of GP care will now be “paused” for the rest of this Government’s lifetime, as doctors need time to hire extra staff and bed down the changes.

He said the measure marked a significant milestone by providing those who can least afford to pay for care with the right to attend a GP at no cost.

“Ensuring that more people can afford to visit their GP gives access to healthcare in the right place - one of the central commitments in the Programme for Government. It also removes the burden on people who may defer GP visits because they simply cannot afford it.”

Also speaking at Government Buildings, Minister for Public Enterprise Paschal Donohoe said the deal included reform element such as payments to doctor coops for phone consultations about patients in nursing homes or palliative care, or to avoid hospital attendance.

Under the changes, the weekly income threshold for a single person living alone to qualify for a GP visit card will increase from €304 to €361 in the first phase, and then to €418 in the second.

For a couple, the threshold will increase from €441 to €524 in the first phase and to €607 in the second, with additional allowed amounts per dependent.

The income threshold for those aged 66-69 will, following the changes, be the same level as for those under 66 – currently, they are lower.

Doctors have claimed earlier this year the Government’s proposed extension of free GP care could overwhelm general practice and lead to long waits for patients.

Mr Donnelly said the number of GPs is being increased by one-third, though this will take some years to achieve.

The IMO said the extension of free GP care on income grounds will benefit 470,000 people, 40,000 more than the figure cited by the Department of Health. The union said it plans to start a consultation process with members on the proposals.