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PRSI Dental Benefit abolished in budget, medical card also cut.

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    #92
    day dreamer
    Registered Users Posts: 599 ✭✭✭day dreamer


    For any dentists , are you following IDA advice by treating patients as normal. I dont see how you can given that it may take months to sort out. What do you think will come of the High Court challenge?

    It would be great if any patients who are affected by this appaling decision or those who are concerned for the health of the most vulnerable to make their feelings known to their TD's and councillors


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    #93
    Davindra
    Registered Users Posts: 20 ✭Davindra


    I think people DO need to stand up and protest this to their TDs.

    My gut feeling is that the HSE announced the most destructive, draconian cuts they could think of in the hope that protest would lead to increasing their budget.

    I cannot get my head around cancelling dentures. Do we really want to humiliate our elderly people to that extent? Or anyone else for that matter who has the misfortune to have problems that require dentures (I know 3 different people who had full dentures before they were 30 due to gum disease).

    As things stand medical card holders only have two options available:
    • The HSE pays for it
    • Cash
    Option number two is often an impossibilty for medical card holders, even for essential treatments (like, for example, full dentures - sorry but that REALLY infuriates me!).

    There should be other options, and I have given this a lot of thought. Surely it would be better to charge medical card holders small, realistically affordable set fees for treatment, like e20 for a filling and subsidise the rest, so that medical card holders, and dentists, at least have rational, ethical options within a reduced budget? Or even for the HSE to offer an "opt in" dental insurance type scheme for medical card holders? Or perhaps for VHI Dentcare be subsidised to expand into this area? (I don't think medical card holders could realistically pay for cover AND cover the existing percentages and waiting periods).


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    #94
    ballsymchugh
    Registered Users Posts: 7,937 ✭✭✭ballsymchugh


    from the IDA circular a couple of days ago.

    5th May 2010
    Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (SF Cavan Monaghan): Pending the response the Taoiseach will give, I shall reserve accepting the Order Paper because a very serious matter has been unfolding over recent days following a decision of the Minister for Health and Children and the HSE. Almost all dental treatment under the medical card scheme has been withdrawn.

    In the preparation of the schedule for business tomorrow, will the Taoiseach request the Minister to come before the House and address the very serious matter contained in the circular issued to all dentists by the HSE, which states that only emergencies will now be dealt with? I have no doubt that I am not unique among Deputies in having constituents contact my office, reflecting on their experience, including in the case of one woman a very serious matter of five dentists refusing to treat her particular dental needs as a medical cardholder. It is not on.
    These things are happening all the time without any address or scrutiny in this House. Will the Taoiseach invite or instruct the Minister for Health and Children to come before the House to address this matter that is having serious consequences for medical cardholders and the most marginalised and dependent in our society?
    An Ceann Comhairle: The Deputy will need to raise it at a different time.


    6th May 2010
    Deputy Ó Caoláin: Regarding a matter I raised yesterday, in the terrible throes of the continuing stripping of services within the broad HSE remit

    An Ceann Comhairle: This is not appropriate on the Order of Business. I can anticipate what the Deputy is going to say and I know it is out of order on the Order of Business.

    Deputy Ó Caoláin: The Minister for Health and Children has not been seen in this House this week. This is hugely important, the continued erosion of the entitlement to health care access of people on medical cards, and I make no apology repeating the point today that there is collective Cabinet responsibility to make that Minister accountable to this House.

    Dental services for public patients have been cancelled across the board today and yesterday. It is affecting the Ceann Comhairle's own constituents.
    An Ceann Comhairle: I am aware of that.
    Deputy Ó Caoláin: Now we see a further announcement that 52 beds will be shut in Beaumont Hospital.
    An Ceann Comhairle: The Deputy should put a question to the Minister for Health and Children, this is the Order of Business.
    Deputy Ó Caoláin: This is happening and there is no accountability in this House whatsoever. Does the Ceann Comhairle have any idea where the Minister for Health and Children is?
    An Ceann Comhairle: The Deputy must resume his seat.
    Deputy Ó Caoláin: I will resume my seat but I am making it clear that this Government cannot continue to hide behind the apron of the former leader of the Progressive Democrats, now an Independent Member, and dodge the responsibility of the continued diminution of health services, which rests with the Tánaiste's own party, with Fianna Fáil.


    6th May 2010
    Deputy Jan O’Sullivan (Lab. Limerick East): I raised the eligibility Bill yesterday in respect of the erosion of rights of people to dental treatment. They have a right to this. It is the same issue as
    An Ceann Comhairle: I do not contemplate having a full-scale debate on these issues every morning on the Order of Business.
    Deputy O’Sullivan: The rights of people for health services have been eroded completely by the current Minister.
    An Ceann Comhairle: There are several other ways to raise the matter and the Deputy knows this.
    Deputy O’Sullivan: There is a Bill on the Order Paper and some way off, in the distant future, we will ask
    An Ceann Comhairle: Deputy, please resume your seat.
    Deputy O’Sullivan:
    why people’s rights are being eroded.
    An Ceann Comhairle: The Deputy should resume her seat and raise the matter with the Minister for Health and Children.
    Deputy O’Sullivan: I ask that the Minister come into the House to talk to Opposition spokespersons because we are increasingly frustrated. We cannot get what we need in our health services.
    An Ceann Comhairle: The Deputy must resume her seat or I shall adjourn the House because we cannot have this level of disorder every morning.
    Deputy Bernard J. Durkan (FG Kildare North): I support my colleagues on that issue. Can it be arranged for the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, to appear in the House occasionally for the Order of Business so that Members could address those issues?
    Deputy Joan Burton (Lab. Dublin West): Ministers are visitors, like swallows.
    An Ceann Comhairle: It is not allowed to ask questions of the Minister for Health and Children on the Order of Business. Let us not think of that as a solution.
    Deputy Durkan: I ask the Ceann Comhairle if it might be possible to make an appointment with her?
    An Ceann Comhairle: There can be parliamentary questions for the Minister for Health and Children.
    Deputies: She never answers them.
    Deputy Durkan: The delivery of health and social services legislation is a matter I have raised, as has every other Member on the Opposition benches in recent months, with as much success as we have in changing the weather. We now must appeal to the Ceann Comhairle to use his influence, as president of this Chamber, to try to ensure that a number of Ministers, who are particularly recalcitrant, come into the House and address the issues they are supposed to address./QUOTE]

    i agree with kent brockman. democracy just doesn't work.


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    #95
    Davindra
    Registered Users Posts: 20 ✭Davindra


    ballsymchugh wrote: »

    i agree with kent brockman. democracy just doesn't work.

    I suppose a Dental junta would be out of the question? :)

    Seriously, this really IS disgraceful.


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    #96
    ballsymchugh
    Registered Users Posts: 7,937 ✭✭✭ballsymchugh


    Davindra wrote: »
    I suppose a Dental junta would be out of the question? :)

    Seriously, this really IS disgraceful.


    i call King.


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    #97
    electron
    Closed Accounts Posts: 338 ✭✭electron


    so how exactly was the medical card cut?


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    #98
    yobr
    Registered Users Posts: 377 ✭✭yobr


    Davindra wrote: »
    I suppose a Dental junta would be out of the question? :)

    Seriously, this really IS disgraceful.

    Not nearly as disgraceful as the 177% increase in dental inflation outlined in the Competition Authority report in October, 2007.


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    #99
    cjdj30
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8 ✭cjdj30


    i have been attending the dentist over the past few weeks and was told i needed all my top teeth removed due to gum disese:eek:,and the only option avalible to me was a denture as i'm a med card holder,(implants a distant dream!) it was very tramatic to hear i'd have to ware a denture since i'm only 30, but seriously nearly equally so to hear that he could make me a denture to put in on the day i have my teeth removed and charge me 400 euro, but due to swelling i would need to go back in 6 weeks to have another one made at a cost of another 400 euro:eek:.i had to borrow the first 400 from a loan company,and now hav 5 weeks to find the other 400, plus now i have another 30euro repayment ontop of all my other weekly outgoings:mad:, seriously dose our goverment not see there only aiding people get further onto debth by taken away basic human nesessitiys like med card dental card, it's not like it's a luxury,cause believe me at 30 havin to wear a denture is anything but:(


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    #100
    dr.fuzzenstein
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,625 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    cjdj30 wrote: »
    i have been attending the dentist over the past few weeks and was told i needed all my top teeth removed due to gum disese:eek:,and the only option avalible to me was a denture as i'm a med card holder,(implants a distant dream!) it was very tramatic to hear i'd have to ware a denture since i'm only 30, but seriously nearly equally so to hear that he could make me a denture to put in on the day i have my teeth removed and charge me 400 euro, but due to swelling i would need to go back in 6 weeks to have another one made at a cost of another 400 euro:eek:.i had to borrow the first 400 from a loan company,and now hav 5 weeks to find the other 400, plus now i have another 30euro repayment ontop of all my other weekly outgoings:mad:, seriously dose our goverment not see there only aiding people get further onto debth by taken away basic human nesessitiys like med card dental card, it's not like it's a luxury,cause believe me at 30 havin to wear a denture is anything but:(

    Sadly that fat cnut Mary Harney won't care since she is sorted and everyone else can just go fcuk themselves.


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    #101
    Babybass
    Closed Accounts Posts: 38 ✭Babybass


    I am in a similar situation - I have a lot of dental work to get done and have been putting it off for years as I am terrified of going to the dentist. I lost my job and now have a medical card and my teeth are actually causing my real distress - they aren't hurting but I am really paranoid about them and it stops me from doing things so I have decided that I must get them done. I have an appointment tomorrow to go to the dentist but was told that only my check-up would be covered and maybe a filling. It is going to cost me 600 + I would imagine to get everything done and I have no idea how I will afford it. At the moment I am terrified of going to the dentist but knowing that when she tells me what I need done and how much it costs that I will have to tell her I cannot afford it is really getting to me - I am embarrassed enough that I haven't been in years and now I will be embarrassed because I cannot get what I need done done. I may have to go to a loan company and try to borrow it - it is the only option. Knowing that I will have such financial pressure is making the whole situation worse and I am almost ready to ring and cancel my appointment. I am almost convincing myself that I don't need to smile, or talk to people or even get close to my husband ever again so I can live with my teeth!!!


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    #102
    green_dub_girl
    Registered Users Posts: 152 ✭✭green_dub_girl


    I have an impacted, swollen wisdom teeth. No heatlh insurance, no medical card, pay prsi and lower rates of tax.

    Does anyone know what options are for someone like me? I need teeth out as this problem is ongoing for about three years. Is it possible to go on a waiting list to have it removed? I believe it can cost about €600 to have them removed privatly. Any advice on what I could do would be great.


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    #103
    ballsymchugh
    Registered Users Posts: 7,937 ✭✭✭ballsymchugh


    green_dub_girl wrote: »
    I have an impacted, swollen wisdom teeth. No heatlh insurance, no medical card, pay prsi and lower rates of tax.

    Does anyone know what options are for someone like me? I need teeth out as this problem is ongoing for about three years. Is it possible to go on a waiting list to have it removed? I believe it can cost about €600 to have them removed privatly. Any advice on what I could do would be great.

    it depends on the degree of impaction really. some dentists won't take out wisdom teeth at all, while some of us will only refer what's scary looking.
    if you go on the waiting list for the dental hospital then you could be waiting for over a year at the moment. if you go privately you are entitled to claim 20% back in tax rebates.
    you should go to your dentist anyway and get the swelling attended to. as long as you haven't been in the past year then the exam should be covered on PRSI. the script may not.


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    #104
    green_dub_girl
    Registered Users Posts: 152 ✭✭green_dub_girl


    Ballsymchugh, thanks for the bit of info! I have made an appointment with my dentist so hopefully he will be able to advise me too. I didn’t realise that I was still entitled to a check up, thought that had been abolished in the budget too so happy days for me.


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