*HSE medical card || Inset: Cllr Pat Daly
CLARE councillors have called for medical card income limits to increase in line with pension payments, amid concerns that older people can lose their eligibility after receiving a social welfare increase.
The issue was raised by Cllr Pat Daly (FF) at the October meeting of Clare County Council, where he asked the council to contact Minister for Finance Simon Harris TD about increasing the eligibility thresholds.
Cllr Daly said two elderly couples had recently approached him after losing their medical cards following increases in their pensions.
He said income limits for medical cards and other social welfare entitlements should rise by a similar amount whenever payments increase, to ensure people did not lose access to supports as a result of a modest increase in income.
Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF), who seconded the motion, said he was familiar with the issue through his work in the post office business.
He described the medical card as “the cornerstone of Ireland’s social welfare system” and referred to figures he had found indicating that approximately 1.5 million people held medical cards, including 290,000 people aged over 75.
Cllr Michael Shannon (FF) also supported the motion, saying the income threshold for medical card eligibility was “so low”.
He said rising household costs, including heating oil, were putting pressure on families and that losing a medical card could lead to “unnecessary stress”.
Cllr Shannon said the State had a particular responsibility to support older people facing these circumstances.
Cllr John Crowe (FG) also supported the motion.
Concluding the discussion, Cllr Daly thanked members for their support, saying people who already qualified for a medical card should not lose it simply because of a pension increase, particularly those in their seventies and eighties.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
