For anyone else, there is a means test to decide on eligibility. However, the Government stated in Budget 2023, that from April 1st of this year, anyone earning the median household income – €46,000 – or less will be eligible for a free GP card.
The free GP card does not cover hospital admissions. At present, you can expect to pay €80 a day for hospital care up to a maximum of €800 per year per person. However, again from April 1st, the Government has committed to doing away with these charges.If you are on a medical card, you won’t have to worry about hospital charges or medicine costs but for others the Drug Payment Scheme puts a monthly cap on the amount you have to pay for medicines.
Once you are over 18 , you will need to apply for a card in your own name, with your own personal cap. It’s not something a lot of young people think about but they should. Medical expenses are regularly cited as being among the reliefs least claimed by taxpayers who are entitled to money back.Even wider support is available for those families and individuals who qualify for a medical card. In general, medical card eligibility is determined by a means test but there is considerably more latitude for older people.
However, applicants have the choice of accepting the HSE’s notional rate of interest on cash savings or submitting a certificate of interest showing details of the actual interest earned in a year, where that figure is lower.
The medical industry is the biggest racket going.