HSE examines measures to combat multi-million euro overspend

The HSE is examining a list of potential contingency measures in an effort to deal with a potential €100 million spending over-run in medical card and other community schemes this year.

The HSE has also said that it will not now be possible to generate an additional €60 million in funding from health insurance companies which formed part of its budget targets for the year.

In its new performance report which it has just been published the HSE said that its service plans for 2013 had been based on an assumption that legislation to allow for the collection of a further €60 million from private health insurers would be introduced.

“It is now clear that it will not now be possible to achieve the €60 million income collection target as the enactment of the legislation has been deferred to January 2014.”

The HSE also said delays by the Goverment in introducing planned fee cuts for healthcare contractors such as GPs and pharmacists had cost it €18 million.

It said its current risk assessment and projections for the end of the year indicated that its primary care reimbursement service, including the medical card scheme, could have a deficit of between €65 and €100 million.

The HSE said a list of potential contingency measures aimed at reducing this projected deficit was being examined.

The HSE said that in the first six months of the year it had recorded a financial deficit of €63.16 million.