Elderly nursing home residents to escape charges
Elderly medical card holders in nursing homes will no longer be charged, it was confirmed today, as the Government admitted confusion over legal issues.
Tánaiste Mary Harney told the Dáil she had instructed health boards to stop charging such patients in public institutions or contract beds immediately.
“There may also be issues, on foot of the advice from the Attorney General, that arise since health boards became aware that this was not legally safe,” she said.
Ms Harney was responding to a question from Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, who welcomed the belated recognition that the charging of elderly patients in public nursing homes is “illegal”.
“The Tánaiste’s belated instruction to health boards to cease this charge forthwith confirms Fine Gael’s consistent position that since the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2001, these charges cannot legally be levied,” he said.
Prior to 2001, health boards were legally entitled to seek a contribution from medical cardholders in public long-term care.
Mr Kenny highlighted a number of questions that he called on the Government to address.
He asked when the Department of Health was first alerted to the issue, why the Attorney General’s advice was only sought after the issue was highlighted by Fine Gael TD John Perry and whether the problem had been covered up by the Government for two years.
“Fine Gael has been informed that at least one health board raised questions about the 2001 Act with the Department of Health in 2002,” he added.
“If this is true then the 8,000-10,000 pensioners affected by this issue have been paying thousands in charges rendered illegal by the 2001 legislation and the Government has failed to act to rectify the problem.”
