Harney may sue OAP's over 'illegal' medical card use

Run_to_da_hills

Pensioners who continue to use medical cards they no longer qualify for under a controversial new means test may be billed by the Government for the cost of services they avail of and sued for the recovery of the cash all though they will not be prosecuted.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/oaps-may-be-sued-over-illegal-medical-card-use-1660269.html

Agent Smith

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Pensioners who continue to use medical cards they no longer qualify for under a controversial new means test may be billed by the Government for the cost of services they avail of and sued for the recovery of the cash all though they will not be prosecuted.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/oaps-may-be-sued-over-illegal-medical-card-use-1660269.html

You can really tell she's not running for re-election next time

Run_to_da_hills

Agent Smith wrote: »

You can really tell she's not running for re-election next time

Definitally Not.

Time Magazine

Would you rather the State did not enforce its means-testing?

markpb

Am I missing the point here? A politician came out and told people if they didn't obey the law, they'd be punished and the money would be recovered. Fair play. She said it to a group of people who have a high voting percentage and a strong history of demonstration. Seems brave. If you want to chalk it up to someone doing the right thing because they're not taking part in the next election, it seems to me more of our politicians should stand down at the next election.

Wreck

Why will they not be prosecuted? It's basically stealing, just like any other kind of welfare fraud.

Run_to_da_hills

By the time it takes to recoup much of these funds through lengthy legal proceedings many of these elderly folk will be laughing down at the Government from above.

yoshytoshy

The government would have been better off ,introducing a medication/medical card for elderly who qualify.
Let them all keep the services they are getting and those who can afford medication/medical things pay for it ,at least a new card would make things easier.

diverdriver

Just to remind you that the people losing the medical cards, which frankly they should have never been granted in the first place, have to be earning €700 a week for a single person and €1400 a week for a couple. That's €72,800 a year.

Do you honestly think that a person on that kind of money actually needs a medical card? In all probability most of the estimated 17,000 people who will lose their card are on probably a great deal more than 72K a year. These people were nothing more than spongers.

Save your sympathies for ordinary working people who are not entitled to medical cards on wages a great deal less than that. I hand out €50 a month on medicines and €55 every time I visit my friendly Doctor. Am I entitled to a medical card? Hell no! I earn a lot less than the figure mentoned.

yoshytoshy

diverdriver wrote: »

Just to remind you that the people losing the medical cards, which frankly they should have never been granted in the first place, have to be earning €700 a week for a single person and €1400 a week for a couple. That's €72,800 a year.

Do you honestly think that a person on that kind of money actually needs a medical card? In all probability most of the estimated 17,000 people who will lose their card are on probably a great deal more than 72K a year. These people were nothing more than spongers.

Save your sympathies for ordinary working people who are not entitled to medical cards on wages a great deal less than that. I hand out €50 a month on medicines and €55 every time I visit my friendly Doctor. Am I entitled to a medical card? Hell no! I earn a lot less than the figure mentoned.

It's not as simple as that ,there are services supplied to this group of people that don't include medication and medical expenses.
I've been in a lot of houses where elderly people rely on someone coming to them during the day and helping out a little.
God knows what they will do without things like this ,money can't provide for things like it:(

grahamo

diverdriver wrote: »

Just to remind you that the people losing the medical cards, which frankly they should have never been granted in the first place, have to be earning €700 a week for a single person and €1400 a week for a couple. That's €72,800 a year.

Do you honestly think that a person on that kind of money actually needs a medical card? In all probability most of the estimated 17,000 people who will lose their card are on probably a great deal more than 72K a year. These people were nothing more than spongers.

Save your sympathies for ordinary working people who are not entitled to medical cards on wages a great deal less than that. I hand out €50 a month on medicines and €55 every time I visit my friendly Doctor. Am I entitled to a medical card? Hell no! I earn a lot less than the figure mentoned.

The media have blown the 'Medical card for pensioners' story out of all proportion. It is only the really well off OAP's who will lose the medical cards.
Ordinary working people with kids have to fork out for doctor's fees and prescriptions most weeks (If you have kids you know what I'm talking about)
and they have to support a whole family on a lot less money than the well off pensioners.

AlekSmart

Intererstingly the Taxing Master,Edmond Honohan has been dishing out some interesting judgements in the Commercial Court recently.

At least one such judgement seemed to me to be incredibly far sighted in moral terms when he referred a Building Society`s claim for possession back to the Circuit Court
.
Ed`s line of reasoning was that whilst the Building Society had a valid case at law,it also had in this particular case,a moral obligation which should have guided it`s actions.

I`ve mislaid the case details,but it was very recent and I believe caused some dust to be shaken from wigs across the broad spectrum of Church St.