Towards universal healthcare
Free GP care is to be introduced for the youngest and oldest in society.
Children aged under six will receive free GP care from July, meaning that the families of 270,000 children will no longer have to pay for the service. In April, terms were agreed between the Department of Health, the HSE and the Irish Medical Organisation. Age-based preventative checks focused on health and well-being and the prevention of disease are to be introduced and carried out when a child is two years old and again at five years old.
Commenting on the agreement, HSE National Director for Primary Care John Hennessy said: “The focus on good health and illness prevention for young children is a major step forward and an investment in health and well-being for future generations.” The new scheme will also include a cycle of care for children diagnosed with asthma, which is poorly managed in children. This will include carrying out an annual review of each child, educating the child and their parents, reviews of medicine and inhaler techniques, and an individual asthma plan for parents.
Health Minister Leo Varadkar stated: “This agreement is a major step forward in improving access, quality and affordability of health care in Ireland. It also marks the most tangible step forward so far along the road to universal health care.” The new service will cover all children under the age of six, including those who already have medical cards, and should result in a better quality of life for children as they will have less need to visit hospital in later life.
The additional cost of the scheme, including the preventative wellness checks and management of asthma, will be approximately €67 million per year. It will be up to each individual GP to decide whether to participate in it. GPs will be paid a capitation fee of €125 a year for each child, with enhanced capitation payments in respect of children covered by the asthma cycle of care (at €50 for year of diagnosis and €45 for each subsequent annual check).
Minister of State Kathleen Lynch added that the service will make a real difference to the youngest in society and “marks a shift towards promoting health and well-being and away from the old ‘illness model’.”
In parallel with this, legislation to provide GP care without fees for all persons aged over 70 years is currently being debated. This service would benefit around 36,000 new patients who are not already covered by a medical card or a GP visit card, from July onwards.
The Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2015 was introduced in the Dáil on 15 April. The cost to the Exchequer of a universal over-70s GP service is estimated at €18 million in a full year. Varadkar added that children and pensioners will both see real savings.
During the negotiations, it was also agreed that a diabetes cycle of care will be introduced for general medical services and GP visit card patients with type 2 diabetes. This will provide structured care for diabetes patients, with two specific GP visits per year to review their condition.
