# Medical card > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Medical_card > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Medical_card.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_card > Source revision: 1294062541 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{about|medical cards in Ireland|similar cards elsewhere|:Category:Health insurance cards}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} A '''medical card''' ({{Langx|ga|cárta leighis}}) is a personal document issued by the [Republic of Ireland](/source/Republic_of_Ireland) in the form of a [plastic card](/source/plastic_card) issued to residents of Ireland who are entitled to free or reduced-rate medical treatment. Those eligible fall below a certain [income tax threshold](/source/income_tax_threshold) or have costly ongoing medical requirements. The medical card system is administered by the [Health Service Executive](/source/Health_Service_Executive) (HSE). ==Benefits== The card entitles the holder to free visits to [general practitioner](/source/general_practitioner)s (GPs), free or drastically reduced-price hospital and dental treatment, and [prescribed](/source/prescription_medication) medication for a nominal charge of [€](/source/Euro)1.50 per item. Some holders are eligible for reduced [Universal Social Charge](/source/Taxation_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland) rates and are entitled to a range of other benefits. Holders, or children dependent on holders, are exempt from paying State Examination fees, including the [Junior Certificate](/source/Junior_Certificate) and [Leaving Certificate](/source/Leaving_Certificate_(Ireland)).{{cite web|title=State Examinations Commission |url=https://www.examinations.ie/?l=en&mc=ex&sc=ef}} A '''GP visit card''' is available to people earning up to 50% above the income limit. As the name suggests, it grants free visits to GPs but does not include any of the other benefits. ==History and politics== Medical cards were introduced by Part III of the Health Act 1953,{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1953/act/26/enacted/en/print#partiii|title=Health Act, 1953|date=29 October 1953|work=[Irish Statute Book](/source/Irish_Statute_Book)|accessdate=1 April 2016}} passed by the then [Fianna Fáil government](/source/Government_of_the_14th_D%C3%A1il) after the failure of the [previous inter-party government](/source/Government_of_the_13th_D%C3%A1il)'s somewhat more ambitious [Mother and Child Scheme](/source/Mother_and_Child_Scheme). It was described as a "white card replacing the red ticket", the latter being a proof of pauperism required under the [Irish poor laws](/source/Irish_poor_laws) for access to the [public dispensary](/source/public_dispensary). The medical card scheme was administered by [county councils](/source/Local_government_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland) until the newly created [Health Board](/source/Health_Board_(Ireland))s took over in 1970; these in turn were replaced by the HSE in 2005.{{cite web|url=http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/dail1953022600059|title=Committee on Finance. - Health Bill, 1952—Second Stage.|date=26 February 1953|work=Dáil Éireann debates|publisher=Oireachtas|accessdate=1 April 2016}}{{cite journal|last=Daly|first=Mary E.|year=2012|title=The curse of the Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake: A hospital system, not a health system|journal=Working Papers in History and Policy|publisher=School of History and Archives|location=University College Dublin|issue=2|page=5|url=http://historyhub.ie/wp-content/files_mf/1365106314The_curse_of_the_hospitals_sweepstake.pdf#page=5}} Until the [2008 financial crisis](/source/2008_financial_crisis), persons aged over 70 were automatically entitled to free medical cards. One of the austerity measures of the [2009 Irish budget](/source/2009_Irish_budget) was the abrogation of this entitlement. After several protests, the benefit was reinstated to all who earn under €700 per week, more than three times the limit for younger people.{{cite journal|last=Meade|first=Rosie R.|date=Summer 2014|title=Foucault's Concept of Counter-Conduct and the Politics of Anti-Austerity Protest in Ireland|journal=Concept: The Journal of Contemporary Community Education Practice Theory|publisher=[Moray House School of Education](/source/Moray_House_School_of_Education)|volume=5|issue=3|issn=2042-6968|url=http://concept.lib.ed.ac.uk/index.php/Concept/article/view/275}} In March 2016 the HSE's National Medical Card Unit invited public comment on its draft three-year plan for 2016–18.{{cite press release |url=http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/media/pressrel/NMCUstrategicplan.html|title=HSE invites feedback on National Medical Card Unit strategic plan|date=21 March 2016|publisher=Health Service Executive|accessdate=1 April 2016}} Commentators criticising the alleged [clientelism](/source/clientelism) of [TD](/source/Teachta_D%C3%A1la)s often instance representations TDs make on behalf of constituents who have been denied a medical card, despite such representations having no effect on the outcome of any review of the constituent's case.{{cite journal|last=Komito|first=Lee|date=April 1984|title=Irish Clientelism: A Reappraisal|journal=The Economic and Social Review|volume=15|issue=3|pages=173–194|url=https://www.tcd.ie/Political_Science/undergraduate/module-outlines/js/irish-politics/IrishPols/KomitoESR84.pdf|access-date=2016-04-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923002416/https://www.tcd.ie/Political_Science/undergraduate/module-outlines/js/irish-politics/IrishPols/KomitoESR84.pdf|archive-date=2016-09-23|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/taoiseach-has-made-330-representations-for-medical-cards-1.2440044|title=Taoiseach has made 330 representations for medical cards|last=McGee|first=Harry|date=23 November 2015|work=[The Irish Times](/source/The_Irish_Times)|accessdate=1 April 2016}} ==References== ===Sources=== * {{cite web|url=https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/medical_cards_and_gp_visit_cards/medical_card.html|title=Medical cards|date=4 March 2021|work=Citizens Information|publisher=Citizens Information Board|accessdate=4 March 2021|location=Dublin}} ===Citations=== {{reflist}} Category:Health Service Executive Category:Health insurance cards {{Ireland-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Medical card](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_card) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_card?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.