THE HSE HAS started sending letters to medical card holders, asking them if they are still in the country. This measure is part of the HSE’s drive to reduce the number of cards in the country in order to save money.
The review, which was announced in the budget in October last year, includes investigating the circumstances of cardholders to include income changes, deaths and in this case, emigration.
In the letter, the HSE says it is “mindful that due to the changed economic situation, it is possible that some of our medical card/GP visit card clients may no longer be resident in the State”.
Being ordinarily resident in the State is one of the criteria for the granting of a medical/GP Visit card.
The letter asks the recipient to fill in an enclosed form, which features two boxes – one to tick if you are still a resident, and one to mark if you have left Ireland.
The HSE did not respond to a request for comment on the letters and for details of how many have been sent out so far.
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