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Medical Card
A Medical Card is a laminated card, about
the size of a credit card, issued by the HSE. People who
hold a Medical Card are entitled to a range of Health Services
free of charge.
You are entitled to the following services
for free if you have a Medical Card:
- Doctor Visits - a range of family doctor
or GP services from a chosen doctor contracted to the
HSE in your local area
- Prescription Medicines: The supply of
prescribed approved medicines, aids and appliances like
wheelchairs, crutches etc.
- Certain Dental, Ophthalmic (Eye), and Aural
(Ear) health services
- Hospital Care - all in-patient services
in public wards in public hospitals, including public
consultant services
- Hospital Visits - All out-patient services
in public hospitals, including public consultant services
- Maternity Cash Grant on the birth of each
child
- Medical & Midwifery Care for Mothers,
including health care related to pregnancy and the care
of the child for six weeks after birth
- Some personal and social care services,
for example, public health nursing, social work services
and other community care services based on client need
Anyone over the age of 16 years who is ordinarily
resident in the State is entitled to apply for a Medical
Card. Ordinarily resident means you are living here for
a minimum of one year or you intend to live here for a minimum
of one year.
You can qualify for a Medical Card under the
following three main categories:
- Means Test: People (and their dependents)
whose assessable income is within the financial guidelines
issued by the HSE.
- Undue Hardship: People whose assessable
income is over the financial guidelines but the HSE decides
that the financial burden of medical or other exceptional
circumstances would cause undue hardship
- Automatic: People who are automatically
entitled to a Medical Card:
- Those who are aged 70 years or over
- Those with European Union entitlement
- Those who are entitled to retain their
Medical .Card under government schemes
If you are not entitled to a Medical
Card you will automatically be assessed for a GP Visit Card.
The income guidelines for GP Visit Cards are higher than
the Medical Card.
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