THE GOVERNMENT will introduce whatever legislation is required to ensure that “no more than 5 per cent” of people over 70 are outside the medical card income threshold, according to Tánaiste Mary Coughlan.
However, she declined to answer repeated questions in the Dáil about whether the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, could change income threshold limits for medical card entitlement for the over-70s, “at the stroke of a pen”, once current legislation is changed.
Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said the Government would have to introduce specific legislation to remove the medical card from those over 70.
He said that repealing the 2001 Health Act granting the card to everyone who reached that age would affect people who turn 70 from January 1st next.
But “it is perfectly clear that repealing the 2001 Act does not remove the legal entitlement that people who have already reached the age of 70 have, to hold a medical card”.
He also asked the Minister to confirm whether or not the income thresholds could be changed without reporting back to the Dáil or Seanad once the legislation was changed.
And he questioned whether the income threshold would be index-linked.
Ms Coughlan accused Mr Gilmore of trying to “muddy the water” but said it was the Government’s intention to repeal the 2001 Act.
She added that “just to assure people that whatever is required to ensure that no more than 5 per cent are outside the remit, that is the intention of the Government and whatever is required that will be dealt with and all of these matters can be dealt with in the context of the legislation”.
Ms Coughlan did not refer to changes in income threshold, and Mr Gilmore said: “The Tánaiste did not answer the first two questions I asked her, that is whether it is the position that the Minister can change the income limits at the stroke of a pen after 1st January, when these measures will be enacted.
“Will the Government index-link the new income limits?”
He said repealing the 2001 health act “will change the position for people who are not yet 70 but it will not change the legal entitlement to hold a medical card for people who are currently over 70”.
He added: “The repeal of the 2001 Health Act will not change the legal entitlement for people who are currently over 70 to continue to hold the medical card. The only way you can do that is by bringing in a legislative measure to take the medical card off them.
“Now frankly if you have problems with your backbenchers getting them to vote for the repeal of the 2001 Act, let’s see how they face up to a legislative measure that actually takes the medical card off the people who currently have it and to which they have a legal entitlement.”
Ms Coughlan stressed that “it is the Government’s intention that the top 5 per cent of earners would stay outside that remit”.
