Ireland - Apply for Medical Card

ProcedureEdit

Please explain in step by step format the procedure, Just to make things easier for others to understand.
 
e.g. 
1. Obtaining proof of birth.
2. Steps to register Name of your Child. 
==Required Documents==
List down the documents required for successfully completing the procedure.

e.g.
1. Proof of child birth from the Hospital.

Required DocumentsEdit

List down the documents required for successfully completing the procedure.

e.g.
1. Proof of child birth from the Hospital.

Office Locations & ContactsEdit

Please list down the office locations that can be approached for applying. External links can also be used for specifying office locations.

EligibilityEdit

Provide eligibility criteria's for going through this procedure.

FeesEdit

Explain the fees structure which is required for obtaining the certificate/document.

ValidityEdit

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to UseEdit

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample DocumentsEdit

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing TimeEdit

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

InstructionsEdit

To qualify for a medical card your weekly income must be below a certain figure for your family size. Cash income, savings, investments and property (except for your own home) are taken into account in the means test - see general income guidelines below.
Normally, your dependent spouse or partner and your children are also covered for the same range of health services. Medical cards are small plastic cards (similar in size to a credit card). Your medical card will show your doctor's name. It may be issued for up to 3 years, after which it is reviewed.
Medical card holders pay the Universal Social Charge on their income (except for social welfare and HSE payments), but at a maximum rate of 4%. The only exemption is for people earning less than 10,036 per annum. They may also be exempt from paying school transport charges, State exam fees in publicly-funded second-level schools. There may also be financial help with buying school books in certain schools.
GP Visit Cards: Unless you have a medical card, visits to GPs (family doctors) are not free. If you do not qualify for a medical card on income grounds, you may qualify for a GP Visit Card. It is means tested, but the income limits are 50% higher than for the medical card.

What health services are normally covered?

If you have a medical card, you are entitled to:
- Free GP (family doctor) services
- Prescribed drugs and medicines (with some exceptions). See section on prescription charges.
- In-patient public hospital services, out-patient services and medical appliances
- Dental, optical and aural services
- Maternity and infant care services
- Some personal and social care services, for example, public health nursing, social work services and other community care services
- A maternity cash grant of 10.16 on the birth of each child.

If you move house

You can use your medical card for up to 3 months if you are living temporarily outside your Local Health Office area. In this case, you can attend any GP in the area participating in the medical card scheme. If you are going to be away longer than 3 months, you should apply to the Local Health Office of that area, for a medical card. If you move to a different part of your own Local Health Office area, you can apply to change your doctor.

After your card is issued

If your circumstances change, you must inform the HSE as you may no longer be eligible. For example, if your income or family circumstances change, you must inform the HSE Central Medical Card Office as soon as possible.

Reviews

In any case, the HSE will ask you periodically to confirm your circumstances. A review form is sent to you, which you must fill in and return to the HSE Central Medical Card Office. If you do not return your review form your application cannot be re-assessed and your card may not be re-issued.
You may continue to use your expired card while a review is taking place, as long as you continue to be involved in the review process. Your eligibility can be confirmed by any doctor or pharmacist or through the GP practice systems, or you can confirm it yourself online at medical card.

Other eligible categories of people

You may get a medical card in certain situations without a means test, for example under EU Regulations. Medical cards are usually granted to children in foster care. Full-time students aged 16-25 who are financially independent of their parents may be entitled to a medical card. If you are receiving a social welfare payment and return to work, you may retain your medical card for up to 3 years.

Prescription charges for medical card holders

From 1 October 2010 medical card holders pay 50 cent charge per prescription item, subject to a monthly ceiling of 10 per family.
The charges do not apply to children in the care of the HSE who have their own medical card. This includes children in residential care, foster care, foster care with relatives and other care placements.

General income guidelinesEdit

Normally, your total income is taken into account in the means test for the medical card. There are different guidelines for those aged under 70 years and those aged over 70 years. Any cash, savings, investments or property (except your own home) is also taken into account. However, there are certain exceptions.

According to the HSE's guidelines, if your income is derived solely from Social Welfare allowances or benefits or HSE allowances you should be granted a medical card even though your payment is in excess of the Income Guidelines for your age and situation.

The assessment of a couple for medical card purposes is based on the age of the older person.

Income not taken into account when assessing income for medical card purposes

Certain compensation awards:

Compensation payments made by the Residential Institutions Redress Board
Repayments made under the Health (Repayment) Scheme (that is, the Nursing Home repayment scheme)
Awards made to people who contracted Hepatitis C or HIV from contaminated blood products (together with income from the investment of that money)
Ex- gratia payments approved by the Lourdes Hospital Redress Board under the terms of the Lourdes Hospital Redress Scheme 2007.

Certain payments made by the State:

HSE payments:Foster Care Allowance, Mobility Allowance, Blind Welfare Allowance, weekly supplements paid under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme
Social welfare payments: Family Income Supplement, Child Benefit, Carer's Allowance, Domiciliary Care Allowance guardian's payments (for example, orphan's pension) and the Free Fuel, Island, Living Alone and Over 80 Allowances.
Other payments: Third level educational maintenance grants, Rehabilitation Maintenance Allowance, earnings from employment of a rehabilitative nature (up to 120.00 per week).

Under 70s: Guidelines on income and capitalEdit

Lone parents with dependants are assessed under the income limits for couples. Weekly income limit (gross, less tax, Universal Social Charge and PRSI)

Single person living alone
- Aged under 66: 184
- Aged 66-69: 201.50
Single person living with family
- Aged under 66: 164
- Aged 66-69: 173.50
Married or cohabiting couple (or lone parent with dependent children)
- Aged under 66: 266.50
- Aged 66-69: 298
Allowance for each of first 2 children aged under 16
- Aged under 66: 38
- Aged 66-69: 38
Allowance for 3rd and each subsequent child under 16
- Aged under 66: 41
- Aged 66-69: 41
Allowance for each of first 2 children aged aged over 16 (with no income)
- Aged under 66: 39
- Aged 66-69: 39
Allowance for 3rd and each subsequent child over 16 (no income)
- Aged under 66: 42.50
- Aged 66-69: 42.50
Each dependant over 16 years in full-time third-level education,who is not grant aided
- Aged under 66: 78
- Aged 66-69: 78

Reasonable expenses incurred in respect of childcare costs and rent/mortgage payments will also be allowed. (There is, however, no exact definition of what 'reasonable expenses' actually means in relation to housing or childcare costs).

Weekly travel costs to work: The actual cost of public transport is allowable or, for car owners, mileage at 30 cent per mile/18 cent per km plus a weekly amount of 50 to cover standing charges (depreciation and running costs). Where a couple needs two cars to travel to work a double allowance applies.

However, if your income is over these limits, you can still apply for the ordinary medical card or GP Visit Card: for example, if you have high medical expenses, such as paying for a nursing home.

How capital is assessed for the under 70sEdit

All capital (savings and investments) is taken into account for medical card purposes. However, income on the savings/investments or property of 36,000 for a single person and 72,000 for a couple is disregarded.

The disregard figure only applies once where both savings and property (other than your own home) are being assessed.

The balance is taken into account either by taking into account the actual rate of interest received, if you provide a certificate of the interest paid on in the last full calendar year or by using a notional rate. The HSE will use whichever calculation is better for the applicant.

In essence, only the interest or income earned on savings and similar investments will be counted as income, not the total value of the savings or investments themselves.

Property (other than family home)Edit

Where land/buildings are leased to another person, the income to be assessed will be the gross income, less any cost necessarily incurred associated with the property and such cost may include insurance premiums, loan/mortgage repayments, maintenance etc.

Where land/buildings, which are not being used but are capable of being leased or sold then the following assessment options can be used, with the more beneficial option applying to the applicant:

Notional assessment of the rental/lease going rate for the area.
Assessment of capital value as in the table for capital, above.

Over 70s: Guidelines on income and capitalEdit

Between 2001 and 2008, everyone over aged 70 was entitled to a medical card without a means test. After that, a means test was introduced, with effect from January 2009.

Since January 2009 there are gross income limits of 700 per week for a single person and 1,400 per week for a married or cohabiting couple. There will be no standard deductions allowable (for example, for income tax).

However, if your income is over these limits, you can still apply for the ordinary medical card or GP Visit Card: for example, if you have high medical expenses, such as paying for a nursing home.

Pensions, earnings, interest from capital and all

Required InformationEdit

A list which displays the kind of information which is required to complete the procedure.
e.g.
1. Date of Birth.
2. City or County of Birth.

Need for the DocumentEdit

A medical card issued by the Health Service Executive (HSE) allows the holder to receive certain health services free of charge.

Information which might helpEdit

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External LinksEdit

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OthersEdit

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