'Mealy-mouthed' move criticised by Labour TD

THE "MEALY-MOUTHED" and "panic measure" by the Government to slightly raise the income threshold for medical cards for the over-70s would not "appease" those affected, according to Labour health spokeswoman Jan O'Sullivan.

The Limerick East deputy said the move to remove the automatic right to a medical card would reverse Government policy of keeping people in the community rather than in institutional care.

Raising the issue last night on the Dáil adjournment, Ms O'Sullivan said the Health Service Executive website "has changed its position three times in the course of the day in terms of what the income limits might be".

The €40 threshold increase for single people and slightly more for a couple was a "panic measure".

Minister of State Barry Andrews, speaking for Minister for Health Mary Harney, reiterated that those who had received a medical card after a means test would not be affected.

He said the HSE would write to people who got their medical card without a means test between October 31st and November 14th, and ask them to complete a means test form within two weeks.

Ms O'Sullivan called on the Government to go back to the drawing board and to the Irish Medical Organisation and renegotiate what was a "hugely inflated amount of money that doctors were paid simply because the decision [in 2001 to give free medical cards] was announced before the negotiation was done".