# Bupa and Medical Card?



## pinky (9 Feb 2004)

If you have a medical Card can you also join bupa or VHI?

I am thinking of joining either, and would like to get my partner (who has a medical card) to join also.  I would be making the payments by direct debit on his behalf.

Is there a conflict here?  And would he lose his medical card?

Thanks in advance,
Piglet.


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s (9 Feb 2004)

Other than the over 70s medical cards are means tested. If you qualify for one and can still afford to pay private health insurance contributions then I can't see why it would cause any problem.


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## pinky (9 Feb 2004)

*Bupa v medical card*

I dont qualify, my boyfriend does......

I will be making the payments on his behalf.  (he couldnt afford it)

Does this make a difference?


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s (9 Feb 2004)

*Re: Bupa v medical card*

I believe that doing so would affect (increase) his means and could therefore affect his means tested qualification for a medical card. You would want to check this out with Social Welfare. If you are married or cohabiting then my understanding is that your joint means should have been assessed when either individual applied for a medical card in the first place. 


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## pinky (9 Feb 2004)

*bupa v medical card*

Not living together...just thought I'd help hiim out a bit.

Thanks for the advise, will definitely check before I do anything.

Thanks.


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## BUPA (10 Feb 2004)

*Medical Card*

Medical cards are issued for reasons other than financial. Certain illnesses qualify you for a medical card. There is no conflict.


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s (10 Feb 2004)

*Re: Medical Card*

Going by the OASIS link above it certainly seems that all but medical cards for the over 70s are means tested.


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## BUPA (10 Feb 2004)

*Medical Cards*

Not so. Cancer will automatically qualify you for a medical card as will other long term illnesses. Home help is not available unless you have a medical card so many people are assessed on an individual basis. Check the Health Board sites where they will have more info.


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s (11 Feb 2004)

*Re: Medical Cards*

I wasn't aware of that - thanks:

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## cobalt (11 Feb 2004)

*med cards*

It's not philanthropy on the part of the govt. Basically, they'll give you a medical card if it works out cheaper for them than not giving you one.

The price paid to pharmacies for prescriptions for non-medical card holders is cost price + a % mark-up + a dipensing fee (i.e. the profit to the pharmacy is the % mark-up + the fee). The first €78 in any month is paid by the patient, and the excess over that is paid by the govt.

In contrast, the price paid to pharmacies for medical card prescriptions is cost price + a dispensing fee (i.e. the pharmacy receives no profit on the goods, just a fee per item dispensed). This is all paid by the govt.

Now, consider a case where a patient is on expensive medication - say €500 cost, or €750 with a 50% mark-up. If the patient has no medical card, they will have to pay the pharmacy €78 and the govt will pay the remaining €672 to the pharmacy. If the patient has a medical card, they pay nothing and the govt only pays €502-€503 to the pharmacy (cost price + fee). It's win/win for the patient and govt (though the pharmacist loses out). The higher the medication cost - particularly if it's a condition the patient is likely to have for some time - the more money the govt saves by giving them a medical card. Of course, if the patient's medication is only cheap, then it's cheaper for the govt not to give them a medical card and then they have to pay the first €78 themselves.

That's the main criterion the govt will use for deciding whether to award a medical card or not - it's not a caring sharing thing.

(Note, there is a separate long-term illness (LTI) scheme for a very limited list of medical conditions that operates differently - patients with these conditions are automatically entitled to free medication _for that specific condition only - not any other illnesses they may also have_ - and the pharmacy gets cost + mark-up + fee in payment.
LTI conditions are:
Diabetes mellitus
Multiple sclerosis
Hydrocephalus
Diabetes insipidus
Muscular dystrophies
Spina bifida
Epilepsy
Acute leukaemia
Cerebral palsy
Haemophilia
Phenylketonuria
Mental illness (<16 yrs only)
Parkinsonism
Cystic fibrosis
Mental handicap


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s (11 Feb 2004)

*Re: med cards*

Thanks for that info cobalt. More on the LTI scheme here:


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