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Drug payment scheme threshold increase will hit families, says IPU

The government has announced a €13.644 budget for health in 2012 – and says the state must save €543 million on healthcare spending.

THE MINISTER for Public Expenditure and Reform has announced a €13.644 billion allocation for health in Budget 2012.

Brendan Howlin said an additional €50 million is going towards government commitments on mental health (including the development of community mental health teams) and access to GP care (such as access to primary care without fees to claimants of free drugs through the Long-Term Illness Scheme).

Howlin also announced a raft of reforms aimed at saving €543 million in public spending on health.

“We must reduce our cost base and increase efficiency to enable health service provision that delivers its essential services effectively, professionally and compassionately,” he added, before outlining the main areas the €543 million in net savings could be made.

One of the measures he outlined is to increase the threshold for the drug payment scheme from €120 to €132 a month – a move the Irish Pharmacy Union’s president Darragh O’Loughlin says will hurt families.

“It seems as though they’re being told they’ve escaped some cuts in child benefit payments, but they’re being told the money is being taken off them here,” he told TheJournal.ie.

O’Loughlin said families who have high medical bills and avail of the drug payment scheme are going to find it tough to source the extra money each month. He said that these families typically consult a doctor several times a year too, and the higher qualification level for the drug scheme “is another blow to families”.

Howlin also announced measures to reduce the price of drugs and fees for services would save the state €112 million a year, but O’Loughlin said it is too soon to know how this would pan out until further details are released by the government through the Bugdet 2012 announcements.

O’Loughlin said the IPU is pleased the minister did not announce the €50 medical card application charge which had been rumoured ahead of Budget 2012, saying it would have seriously affected access to healthcare for people who already have serious difficulty in paying for healthcare.

LIVE: Brendan Howlin’s Budget 2012 speech to the Dáil >

In full: Brendan Howlin’s Budget 2012 announcement >

Read: Budget 2012: Top tips for beating Budget stress

More: ‘Less than €2 a week’: Government publishes household charge bill

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13 Comments
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    Mute Rodger O Waters
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    Dec 5th 2011, 4:11 PM

    Why are our drug cost among the highest in europe?

    32
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    Mute Bigbirtha
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    Dec 5th 2011, 4:45 PM

    Ya, are we in the shallow end of the gene pool or is it the scaming by big pharma/HSE/government??

    19
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    Mute Damien O'Connell
    Favourite Damien O'Connell
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    Dec 5th 2011, 5:51 PM

    Oh great, now I’m paying EU1542 a year for my medications. That’s 7% of my take home pay. When I was diagnosed with persistent asthma 5 years age this charge was EU68 if my memory serves me correctly. Even mary harney acknowledged that EU120 was enough for people to pay for medications last year. I didn’t expect this…I am very angry. That soften us up bulls!@?t speech last night was a farce. Nothing for it but to decrease my spending which will really get us out of recession. Long term Illness classification hasn’t been changed since 1973, so that’s a load of horse shit. I have a long term illness, I continue to work, pay my taxes and the thanks is to get showered with more charges. With regard to the drug companies and pharmacists.. when I lived in Australia my inhalers cost EU48 unsubsidized. Subsidised by the oz government, EU28. Here they would cost EU140, same inhalers, same company, same packaging. Can someone please explain that one? … and no they weren’t generics!

    14
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    Mute Damien Armstrong
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    Dec 6th 2011, 12:27 AM

    If it’s Ventolins and Symbicorts then discontinue to pay for them here. Stop over-contributing to this failed economy and get them in Italy or Spain. Symbicort €68 in Italy and much less again in Spain. €89 here in Ireland. In fact, go to Spain and buy a year’s supply of them – they’ll pay for the holiday. And forget about people saying you should buy in Ireland. At these prices, forget about patriotism! It’s look after no. 1 from here.

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    Mute Alan Vickery
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    Dec 5th 2011, 4:48 PM

    looks like a lot of people with be skipping months on there meds, more so then before.
    I’m on the drugs payment scheme and its like a second mortgage every month. this is just going to make it harder. these have gone to far.

    11
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    Mute Rodger O Waters
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    Dec 5th 2011, 4:55 PM

    Check out generics,I got bp stuff a fraction of the brand name.

    11
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    Mute Martin Mc Cormack
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    Dec 5th 2011, 4:32 PM

    Mr o Loughlin might be the ione to answer that

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    Mute Brian Walsh
    Favourite Brian Walsh
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    Dec 5th 2011, 9:17 PM

    This decision is disgusting, like others here I have an illness too, I take 10 nebulisers a day, inhalers and various other tablets, steroids and antibiotics etc. We’re not like a motorist who can choose to either take the toll road or not take it, the government knows people depend on their medication every month for survival so they can’t simply choose a cheaper path. By increasing this fee each month they know it’s not question that it may or may not be paid, it MUST be paid, it’s a question of survival, and by doing that they’re exploiting the sick, the weak, and the dying. What does that say about our society, our own government abusing it’s weakest citizens?

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    Mute Damien O'Connell
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    Dec 6th 2011, 1:17 AM

    And asthma is not considered a chronic illness. I think it should be assessed on a severity basis with those on regular inhaled corticosteroids being supplemented to some degree. Asthma unlike heart disease or diabetes is more likely to be observed in a younger population, henceforth life long spending on expensive inhalers. It’s a burden in good times as well ar recessionary times. not to mention doctor’s visits, work certs, repeat scripts… god I’m really getting it off my chest here! well if I really could get it off my chest,literally, I’d be flying it ha ha!

    1
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    Mute Brian Walsh
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    Dec 6th 2011, 7:26 AM

    Damien asthma will never be considered a chronic illness in this country as so many people here have it, if that were to happen the amount of Medical cards would at least triple overnight. The bigger question is why so many people have it here, i’ts almost reached epidemic proportions, and no, not everyone smokes. I have a different lung disease but I also have the dreaded asthma too so I’d love to see at least some sort of resognition of how expensive this can be, but there’s the problem, expense. With so much of a population having asthma and lung problems the drug companies are making a killing here, literally.

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    Mute aidan o driscoll
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    Dec 5th 2011, 7:46 PM

    Alan Vickery said “looks like a lot of people with be skipping months on there meds, more so then before.”

    Thats all fine if you can skip them. In our case it is a person with a KIDNEY TRANSPLANT. We HAVE To have the drugs every month FOR LIFE.

    Its simple really – No drugs, you die.

    So now this is another €12 a month FOR LIFE on top of an amount that was already a struggle for most ( see Damien O Connells comment ).

    What we are really afraid of is the next four years will see similar hikes per year, bringing the amount to near €200 per month for life. And nightmare scenario is they also shave down the 20% one gets back on tax credit.

    Aidan

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    Mute Damien Armstrong
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    Dec 6th 2011, 12:35 AM

    I’d say that reduction in the tax back each January is definitely on the cards. It’s a good way of imposing a stealth tax without people realising it – remember the last reduction when you could avail of 100% instead of 20%….nobody shouted about it. Wait for tomorrow or next December for that one.

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    Mute aidan o driscoll
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    Dec 5th 2011, 9:06 PM

    If you are with VHI also add this to your out goings .. potentially:

    http://www.thejournal.ie/vhi-warns-premiums-could-jump-50-per-cent-over-health-reforms-297064-Dec2011/

    Aidan

    2
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