MINISTER'S RESPONSE:MINISTER FOR Health Mary Harney has firmly ruled out a return to medical cards for everybody over 70 if the Government reaches an agreement with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO)
"Nobody I have spoken to during the week - sorry, I think there was one person - has said to me that everyone should get it regardless,'' she said.
"People feel that it is fair to give medical cards on the basis of need and give them to older people in circumstances where you might not give them to younger people.''
The Minister was speaking on Saturday on the Marian Finucane programme on RTÉ Radio 1.
Asked if she would resign if there was a Government u-turn on the issue, Ms Harney said the Taoiseach had made it clear the proposal was part of the Budget.
"We have to live within the perameters of the Budget. It would be very serious for any Government if we could not do that, not just in relation to this issue,'' she added.
If the Government could not get it through the Dail, clearly it had "an issue", she said.
Asked if she would resign if she felt scapegoated by Fianna Fail, Ms Harney said she worked as a team with the Taoiseach and other colleagues whom she trusted.
"We did not blindly make this decision. We discussed it at great, great length,'' she added.
She said she did not accept that the measure was brought in for electoral purposes.
" I was around the cabinet table when that decision was made. We thought it was a good decision at the time in the context of the resources we had...'' .
She added that, in retrospect, they might do some things differently. Ms Harney said that those who had small pensions and saved for their pensions will continue to get a medical card.
"We want to help people earning up to €650 a week single and €1300 a week married. That's what we want to do. We want those people to have access to their doctor free of charge. That's our plan,'' she said.
Ms Harney said it was intended that there would be a very simple self-assessment form.