Entitlement to a Medical Card for UK/EU OAP

[NewtoTown]

slainte
Question:

I have a Social Security Pension from England and understood that this entitled me to a Medical Card without a means test. The health board are asking for details of my income. Are they entitled to do this and who exactly is entitled to an EU Medical Card?

Answer:

Under European Union Regulations, Medical Cards are granted to the following categories of people regardless of their means:

(1) Pensioners living in Ireland who are receiving a Social Security Pension from another EU State, regardless of income provided they are not employed or self-employed here, and are not receiving an Irish Social Welfare Pension.

People who have a Social Security Pension from another EU State and an occupational pension from Ireland (including Civil Service or Public Service pensions) are eligible for a Medical Card under this rule. (Note that people in this situation may be given form E121 if they retire to another EU country, i.e. a Civil/Public Service pension will be treated as a Social Security pension for the purpose of getting the equivalent of a Medical Card in that country).

(2) Members of the family living here, of someone working and paying social insurance contributions in another EU State, provided they are not employed or self-employed here and are not receiving an Irish Social Welfare payment.

(3) Frontier Workers. If you live in one Member State and work in another, you are entitled to health services where you live and where you work.

(4) Posted Workers - persons who are assigned to Ireland by an employer in another EU state,

(5) Unemployed persons seeking work here and covered by Form 119

(6) Students from other EU countries

(Comhairle update 16/11/01)

Whilst there is no means-test for people entitled to a Medical Card under EU Regulations, Health Boards are entitled to ask for any information necessary to establish that your application rightly comes under EU Regulations. Income from employment or self-employment of less than €3,174 a year is not subject to PRSI and so would not affect this entitlement.

A Medical Card normally covers the applicant's spouse and dependants. However if a spouse is receiving a Social Welfare Pension (no matter how small) or is employed or self-employed here then s/he would come under our legislation and would be means-tested in the normal way.

All holders of Medical Cards are exempt from paying the 2% Health Contribution.

If you feel your application has been incorrectly dealt with you can ask the Planning Unit in the Department of Health and Children, Hawkin's House, Dublin 2, to clarify your position.

Now that the Govt have withdrawn the medical card for the over 70s please can you advise if this have any impact on the advice given here? Also please can you direct me to the relevant EU regulations as I am preparing for a meeting with my TD - my Mum is distraught over this. She has been recently widowed since moving to Ireland and has significant medical issues

[Cormac]

Hi

This article covers a lot of questions regarding the new regulations:
Register(Free)/Login to View Link

Hi,
Thanks for the link, unfortunately no mention of what happens to a UK pensioner living in Ireland. However I've finally dug up the 2007 guidelines:

"http://www.hse.ie/eng/Find_a_Service/entitlements/Medical_Cards/Medical_Card_GP_Visit_Card_National_Assessment_Gui delines_-_March_07.pdf"

and this seems to say that Mum is entitled under EU pensioners resident in Ireland (Section 5.3.2) thanks again

[Cormac]

AFAIK - And I could be wrong - A UK pensioner would have pretty much the same entitlements as an Irish pensioner.