MOST OLDER people who are no longer eligible for an over-70s medical card have not handed back their cards to health authorities, new figures show.
Under new eligibility rules, older people whose income is above the threshold were required to notify the Health Service Executive (HSE) before March 2nd. The Government estimates some 20,000 older people are no longer eligible for the over-70s medical card. However, a spokeswoman for the HSE said by the end of last week just over 1,500 income declaration forms had been received.
Support groups such as Age Action Ireland say many over-70s are deliberating refusing to surrender them due to fears they will not be able to afford medication or GP services. Others, they say, are confused by the new thresholds.
However, health authorities have warned that anyone not entitled who holds on to a card, or who knowingly makes a false income statement, may be hit with the full cost of any health services they receive.
Under the new eligibility rules for over-70s medical cards, the automatic entitlement applies only to those with a gross income of €700 a week or less for a single person, or €1,400 a week or less for a couple.
In introducing the new measures recently, Minister for Health Mary Harney emphasised her belief in the “honesty and integrity” of the vast majority of older people.
A HSE spokeswoman said there were measures in new legislation which allow for the sharing of data between State agencies and the HSE to allow officials to verify if a person has income, as declared, under the gross income limit.
Age Action says it has received calls from concerned older people who say they are prepared to break the law to hold on to their medical card.
“The medical card is a gateway card to access a range of services such as public health nursing, which you can’t buy in the private sector,” said Age Action’s spokesman Eamon Timmins.
“There are also sick, older people who have considerable medical costs and are now living in fear of getting a letter from the HSE calling for them to be audited,” he said.
The group is advising older people with incomes outside the thresholdthat they are in breach of the law. It says they should apply immediately for a medical card or GP-only card.
However, Mr Timmins said many believe they may be refused a GP-only card due to the limited number of cards available and the shrinking public finances. “This is a completely unacceptable situation and one which is an inevitable consequence of the Government’s refusal to listen to the concerns of older people,” he said.
A person over the income limit may still apply for a medical card under the general medical card scheme if their health circumstances cause them “undue financial hardship”.
The HSE sent out 350,000 letters in recent months asking anyone over 70 who received their medical card on the basis of age only, or without a means test, to make a declaration on their income before March 2nd, 2009.