THE GOVERNMENT attempted to defuse the controversy over medical card entitlement last night by raising the eligibility thresholds. The move came after a day of turmoil among Fianna Fáil backbenchers and a concerted attack from the Opposition parties and voluntary organisations.
Under the terms of the modified scheme, people over 70 whose income corresponds to the State contributory pension of €240.30 a week for a single person, or €480.60 for a married couple, will be entitled to retain a full medical card.
Minister for Health Mary Harney insisted last night the change would have little or no impact on the savings of €100 million budgeted for by her department, as it was always the intention to allow people over 70 who were solely dependant on a State pension to continue in the scheme.
"The fact is that this will save approximately €100 million. There's no change in the Government decision. It was a Government decision made in the context of a very difficult budget," she said.
"We were paying doctors €86 million for the scheme. Medical costs will increase by 14 per cent next year. The choices we faced were the following. Do we put a cost on prescriptions? Do we continue with our cancer programme? These are difficult choices and I wish we did not have to make those choices," said Ms Harney.
The adjustment was dismissed by Fine Gael and Labour as not going nearly far enough and both parties called on the Government to scrap it entirely and allow all those over 70 to retain a full medical card.
Under the terms of the scheme as now constituted, individuals or couples over 70, with an income equal to or less than the State contributory pension, will retain the full medical card. People above that limit will be entitled on a graduated scale to either a GP-only card or a payment of €400 a year.
Those with an income of over €650 a week for an individual or €1,300 for a couple will not qualify for any benefit. The adjustment to the scheme was announced just hours after a stormy Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting at which a number of TDs expressed outright opposition to the plan.
"The party is on fire," said one backbench TD after the meeting.
During the meeting more than 30 TDs and Senators criticised the Budget decision as well as what was described as a damaging information vacuum with backbench deputies unsure of the details 24 hours after it was announced.
Tánaiste Mary Coughlan told the meeting that the decision could not be reversed and said that any Fianna Fáil TD who criticised the measure during the Taoiseach's absence abroad would be showing "disrespect" to him.
Among the most vocal critics of the measure were Noel O'Flynn, Noel Treacy, John Brown and Pat "The Cope" Gallagher.
While most argued for modification of the eligibility limits, some argued that the decision itself needed to be revisited.
The adjustment to the scheme was announced a few hours after the meeting but the Opposition reacted coolly to the change. Fine Gael health spokesman Dr James Reilly said the Government had been forced into a desperate climbdown but he said the move would have a minimal impact.
He said it was difficult to understand how the Minister could continue to say that savings of €100 million were going to be achieved if the new limits altered the number of those eligible to retain the card. "The truth is this is a desperate climbdown from a Government that has been pressured into action after their vicious attack on the elderly. It's not good enough and Fine Gael will continue to pressure for a full reversal of this unjustifiable, mean-spirited, cold-hearted measure," he said.
Labour spokeswoman Jan O'Sullivan said minor changes to eligibility limits would do little to undo the damage inflicted on the elderly.