Stealth health charges from recession remain high – and hit low-paid
BUDGET day usually provides a short reprieve from the daily news generated by the crisis-hit parts of our health service.
But even as the Government announced an extra €1.05bn yesterday – bringing the 2019 funding for health to a record €17bn – it was difficult to avoid grim reality.
As it was being unveiled, some 525 patients languished on trolleys. That’s 30 more than when the trolley crisis was declared “a national emergency”.
It’s a reminder that even turning on the spending taps to that level is no match for the demands, particularly due to our ageing and growing population.
There is also huge uncertainty about what lies ahead in A&Es this winter.
It emerged yesterday that more hospital beds are on the way. But the first phase of 78 will not appear until early next year, potentially missing the worst months of gridlock.
The new journey promised by Sláintecare was also less than it seemed on further scrutiny.
Some €200m is being allocated to kickstart the 10-year plan which promises to transform the health service and create a one-tier system.
But then it emerged several of the annual “housekeeping” measures, which are part of Budget day, including the allocation to the National Treatment Purchase Fund to buy treatments for waiting list patients, were given the Sláintecare stamp.
In fact, there is only around €20m for Sláintecare transition funding, a far cry from the kind of sums that were originally earmarked for its implementation.
It includes the €75m “top-up” money which is being given to the National Treatment Purchase Fund to ease waiting lists. It will be used to buy care in public and private hospitals.
But although welcome and now a necessary safety valve, it won’t go far in the face of demands.
It will pay for around 70,000 treatments, mostly surgery.
But there are more than 74,000 currently waiting for operations alone.
The change in the eligibility threshold for a GP card will bring in an extra 100,000.
But what if they can’t find a
GP to take them on?
We await the national service plan of the HSE, which will set out how the money will be spent.
But that plan ended up more than €700m overspent – again – this year.
The minister said he expected the HSE to come in on budget in 2019, but hope springs eternal.
There was good news in the cuts in the Drug Payment Scheme which will see the threshold reduce by €10 to €134 a week.
And the prescription charge was reduced for the over-70s by 50c to €1.50. This should help pensioners who are forced to ration their medicines.
But it’s disappointing it was not extended to other age groups as well.
The stealth health charges introduced during the recession remain high.
And they continue to cause particular hardship to lowincome people who were expecting more generous cuts to ease the payouts.