Harney's worst ever proposal (and that's saying something)

C

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See http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1115/medicalcard.html

She is concerned about over-prescribing, so she decides to charge medical card patients for prescriptions. If there is a problem with over-prescribing, she should be sorting this out immediately with the doctors, not getting those who can least afford it to pay (yet again). Prescription charges will not stop the over-prescribing problem.

If she needs to squeeze a few more quid out of the health budget, perhaps she should start at the top, and negotiate a decent deal with the consultant. Perhaps she should work out why my blood pressure medication is 10 times the price here in Ireland compared to the UK (and it is made in Cork). Perhaps she should be cutting the state subsidy to developers of new private hospitals and private sports injury clinics before she comes after medical card holders.

But most of all, she should be sorting out over-prescribing as a medical problem, not an economic problem.
 
Did you think of giving her a call to understand what is going on, and what legislation is relevant ?

I agree with your point. On The Week In Politics tonight, she repeated the same nonsense. When asked about the proposed prescription charges, she went off on a tangent about overprescription of antibiotics, the prevalence of superbugs, and the lack of same in The Netherlands.

This is a similar technique to that of John Gormley and his Carbon Tax. The tax that he said on the same programme has nothing to do with raising the public finances.


Suddenly, now, when the coffers are empty it is vital that we start paying extra money to reduce our carbon emissions.

What a fortunate coincidence for the Government.
 
A similar logic was used when a charge was introduced for attending at the A & E. It was to encourage people to go to their GP rather than the A & E and quite rightly so. However as most GP's charge in the €60 range I am just wondering why the A & E charge is heading past the €100 mark.
 
I agree with this proposal and also think that medical card holders should pay 5-10euro a visit to their GP
 
I totally agree with her proposal, I have a friend on the medical card, goes to the doctor if she gets something in her eye, she is never out of the place, its a joke, I only go to the doctor if I am about to die as can't afford it. I think something should be done to discourage the abuse the health system gets.
 
It should be €5 per prescription. It should also be €10 per GP visit.

I recently heard about someone with a skin condition who gets their cream for free through a friend of theirs who gets it on their medical card. It costs €130 a tube. That's just wrong.
 
Abbica said:
I totally agree with her proposal, I have a friend on the medical card, goes to the doctor if she gets something in her eye, she is never out of the place, its a joke, I only go to the doctor if I am about to die as can't afford it. I think something should be done to discourage the abuse the health system gets.
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+1

I also know a few people who have medical cards and take the children if they have a runny nose! And then they demand antibiotics and are given them by the doctor!

There should definitely be a charge for GP's of €10 and €5 for prescriptions.
 
Abbica said:
Ion the medical card, goes to the doctor if she gets something in her eye, she is never out of the place, its a joke,
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How will the prescription charge help this situation?
colin79ie said:
I recently heard about someone with a skin condition who gets their cream for free through a friend of theirs who gets it on their medical card. It costs €130 a tube. That's just wrong.
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How will the 50c prescription charge help this situation?
 
I can't believe that the 50c charge will raise €20-€30 million. How many prescriptions are written every year in this Country?
 
I would hope that a small fee would make people think twice before strolling in to the GP. It will also help the government collect some much needed revenue.
 
50c per drug dispensed will not deter people getting an overprescribed antibiotic. However the elderly person with perhaps up to 10 or more items on their regular monthly prescription will suffer. If it is going to be introduced it would have been better to have a flat rate per prescription filled.
 
Isn`t the G.P. paid per head for medical card holders. If medical card holders are going to be charged 5 euros per visit the money to the G.P. needs to be looked at.
 
sunrock said:
Isn`t the G.P. paid per head for medical card holders. If medical card holders are going to be charged 5 euros per visit the money to the G.P. needs to be looked at.
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True. The GPs love to see card holder coming as it is easy money.
 
VOR said:
True. The GPs love to see card holder coming as it is easy money.
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My father never visited the doctor. Even when my mother was poorly she was never brought to the doctor. My mother died. Now my father with his medical card is never out of the place. He takes everything that is available to him whether ne needs it or not. He even got a straight backed chair because he was saying that it was difficult to get out of his soft chair. This free chair is now used as a place to store his newspapers. Several other items have been dumped in a corner of the room and never used.
 
delgirl said:
+1

I also know a few people who have medical cards and take the children if they have a runny nose! And then they demand antibiotics and are given them by the doctor!

There should definitely be a charge for GP's of €10 and €5 for prescriptions.
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Agree 100%. I know of several people that have medical cards who will no doubt moan about this but have no problem spending their money on drink and cigarettes!!
 
VOR said:
True. The GPs love to see card holder coming as it is easy money.
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Nope, they love it when they never come since they get a flat yearly fee.
sunrock said:
Isn`t the G.P. paid per head for medical card holders. If medical card holders are going to be charged 5 euros per visit the money to the G.P. needs to be looked at.
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The payment should be collected by the GP and deducted from the yearly flat fee (no net gain to the GP).

Sunny said:
I can't believe that the 50c charge will raise €20-€30 million. How many prescriptions are written every year in this Country?
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40-60 million, it would seem.
 
VOR said:
I would hope that a small fee would make people think twice before strolling in to the GP. It will also help the government collect some much needed revenue.
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I agree with this completely. It's a bit like the plastic bag levy - a small amount of money that makes people think twice about the alternatives available if possible.
 
A relation of mine worked in a Pharmacy and the level of drugs returned was crazy.

One person whose mother died, brought back 3 black bags full of unused medication, why, because her mother took what she could get.

How many prescriptions are written every year where the drugs are not used? Once they leave the pharmacy they have to be destroyed if returned.... how much is this waste costing i wonder?
 
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