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FREE CONTRACEPTION FOR women aged 17 to 25 is set to be rolled out following the signing off of new legislation.
The Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) Act 2022 also provides for the abolition of both overnight and day case public in-patient charges for children under 16 in all public hospitals.
President Michael D Higgins today signed the Act into law following its passage in the Dáil and Seanad with cross-party support.
The two measures are set to come into force by September.
The Department of Health has estimated that free contraception could save young women who use it hundreds of euro per year.
The scheme will cover the full cost of prescription contraception, including:
In a press statement, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said free contraception was a “cost-effective measure, reducing both crisis pregnancy and termination of pregnancy rates.
“Given that the costs of prescription contraception are typically faced by women, the scheme will impact positively on gender equity, reducing costs for women, but also benefitting their partners and families, starting with women aged 17-25.”
In 2019, a government working group considered ways to improve access to contraception after the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment recommended the rollout of free contraception.
Its report outlined that local access, cost, embarrassment, inconvenience and lack of knowledge were barriers to accessing contraception and that young women and vulnerable groups should be prioritised for any free contraception.
Donnelly said that abolishing acute in-patient hospital charges for children under 16 aimed to ease the financial burden of parents or guardians when bringing their child to hospital for in-patient care.
“In the context of current cost-of-living challenges, I am delighted to be able to introduce these two significant measures aimed at alleviating cost pressures for individuals and families when seeking to access healthcare.”
Currently, public patients, including children, are subject to a statutory public in-patient charge of €80 per night, up to a maximum of 10 nights in a 12-month period.
Medical card holders and other specified groups are exempt from these charges.
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€462 less 33% Dirt = €103 per year or €2 er week.
Seriously, how is anyone arguing that €2 per week on €10,000 put away for 3 years is actually a good deal when inflation will be over 2% for the same period.
I get that people dislike Irish banks but this isn’t the correct issue to be highlighting- it just perpetuates the appalling levels of financial illiteracy we have in this country.
Encouraging people to make a less %hitty decision is not good financial advice.
Deposit rates will never beat inflation over the longer term, the entire global financial system is set up to ensure this.
Why not educate people about the benefits of choosing a well diversified low cost investment and actually grow the value of their savings rather than fool them into thinking that 2.46% gross is a good deal.
It’s not – it’s lousy.
@Wombleman: We need to. Its the future of how we earn money when jobs are no longer necessary
@Wombleman: Well said. Not worth the bother moving it, or the ball ache of reporting DIRT….. that’s why deposits are in current not savings accounts
@RC247: that makes no financial sense when moving it actually saves your money eroding with inflation. Irish banks are scamming you & making money off you by doing so!
@Wombleman: The vast majority of people are never going invest in that way. Most don’t even move their money into an account with a higher interest rate. The banks are making money by sticking peoples money on deposit with the ECB and ripping the average saver off. It should not be allowed.
Just moved my BOI, PTSB and An Post savings to TFBank at 3.90% fixed for 1 year.
We desperately need a tax free savings & investments scheme just like the UK ISA system, the Canadian TFSA system or the (unfortunately named) US IRA savings vehicle. In the UK, residents can deposit up to £10,000/yr and earn interest free from tax.
@MTB Mayo: …sorry, it’s actually £20,000/yr now!
Why would anyone think that a bank will do anything other than take their money?
I dont understand why people are still using Irish banks. It is easy enough to open non-resident accounts in other European countries and avail of better customer service, better rates, and lower fees. Also part of the instant SEPA system unlike the Irish banks which are the only EU country yet to sign up to the protocol because the Irish banks deem it “too costly” to upgrade the technological infrastructure. I think the EU deadline was 2021, yet the Irish banks project it will be 2027 until they can partake in the system.
@Niall English: I thought Ireland was a full SEPA member… Do the Irish banks not ‘play the game’?
I didn’t encounter any problems moving my direct debits to a GB or LT Revolut account before it became IE, both with utilities and with credit card, loans, etc.
@Jerry LeFrog: they are a member of SEPA but they do not have capability of the SEPA Instant Credit Transfer Protocol e.g, instant transfer in 10 seconds. Irish bank transfers still take one working day. Its archaic stuff, technological infrastructure needs a serious upgrade and they complain they dont have the funding for this. Be nice to get into the 21st century banking. They were hoping this would be solved with that app they were going to launch together (BOI, AIB, and PTSB) but that got canned a few months ago.
https://www.raisin.ie/
Look at the rates with raisin.
F the Irish banking cartel!
To make money you need money. If you your family and mates can afford a min 100 euro each a month , you better of collectively putting into one investment pot where yous are all equal holders.
have your say