Pauline Tully
Question:674. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health if those in receipt of the carer’s support grant are entitled to a free GP card. [36200/24]
View answerWednesday, 18 September 2024
Questions (674)
Written answers
The Carer’s Support Grant is an annual payment made to carers who get Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA). It can also be paid to certain other carers providing full-time care.
Since 1 September 2018 all those in receipt of either a full or half-rate Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit are automatically eligible for a GP visit card (GPVC). This means that many persons in receipt of the Carer's Support Grant already qualify for a GP visit card as the Carer's Support Grant is paid automatically to persons in receipt of Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit. In addition, it is envisaged that a number of carers already hold eligibility for a medical card or GPVC under the general means assessment guidelines.
A range of other measures have been introduced in recent years to expand access to GP Care including the automatic awarding of a GP visit card to all persons over 70 in 2015 and an increase to the income thresholds for a GP Visit Card in 2019, which are considerably higher than those for a medical card.
Furthermore, under the GP Agreement 2023, GP visit card means-tested eligibility was fully expanded, as per that Agreement, to all those who earn up to the median household income from November 2023 (having commenced in September 2023). Approximately 430,000 people under the means-tested expansion were estimated to be eligible under this expansion. It is likely that many of those currently in receipt of the Carer Support Grant will be among those positively affected by this expansion.
I can assure the Deputy that, in order to ensure the medical card system is responsive and sensitive to people's needs, my Department keeps medical card issues under review and any proposals are considered in the context of any potential broader implications for Government policy, the annual budgetary estimates process and legislative requirements arising.