If you have a full medical card do you have to pay for bloodwork at your doctors?

marti8

We've full cover med cards and when I go to my doctor if I need bloods taken for anything it's free but today when my wife went to get bloods taken for a toenail fungal infection she had to pay €20? I don't get it, either it is actually covered by the med card or it's not - anyone know?

As far as I know if the patient asks for a blood test it isn't free but if the doc thinks you need a blood test it is free (as long as not requested by the patient) Anyone know whether this is actually the case? My wife didn't request a blood test she was told she'd need one, had it and was then told she had to pay €20 for it. Hmmmmm? Thanks.

(I put this in State Benefits as it refers to the med card, a State Benefit, if a mod thinks it's in the wrong section please move it. Thanks)

Delancey

I too assumed this would be fully covered by the Medical Card - I have never heard of blood tests being charged to card holders

marti8

Delancey wrote: »

I too assumed this would be fully covered by the Medical Card - I have never heard of blood tests being charged to card holders

Yep, that's what I heard - don't recall where now. Will probably need to get onto the joyful people at the HSE to enquire further. If they even know :rolleyes:The doctor said that blood tests aren't covered by the med card???

mrsbyrne

there was 2 whole days of a Liveline (Joe Duffy) on this matter earlier on this year. Yes, some GP have started charging medical card patients for some work, for instance blood tests, that up till now were covered by the medical card. apparently,some GPs are finding that the payment they are getting from the HSE to cover medical card patients is just not covering the actual costs, so this is what is happening :(:(.at the time the advice given on Liveline was, if you dont want to pay ,just look for a GP who is not charging and change over to him/her. But better ring HSE anyway.

Balagan

http://www.imt.ie/opinion/2011/04/new-legal-interpretation-needed-on-blood-tests.html


Dr Reilly said blood tests forming part of the investigation and necessary treatment of a patient’s symptoms or conditions should be provided free of charge to medical card and GP visit card holders.

He pointed out that in many GP surgeries, it was the practice nurse who took blood samples.

Dr Reilly added that the Health Service Executive (HSE) significantly subsidised the cost of employing practice nurses.

He said: "If the HSE is made aware of specific cases where GMS patients are being charged by GP contractors, it will arrange to have such cases investigated as appropriate.
http://www.examiner.ie/archives/2011/0412/ireland/gps-criticised-for-charging-medical-card-holders-for-blood-tests-151160.html

edellc

i was recently diagnosed with under active thyroid this means i have to get blood test every 4-6 wks until my medication is working then it will be every few months
the first two blood tests i got done where free then the receptionist said to me that there was a charge of 10euro for blood tests :eek:
i was made redundant without a redundancy package and now have a small baby its hard enough dealing with the stress of my life getting turned on its head without now having to pay 10euro to be a pin cushions for the nurse in the surgery who leaves me black and blue for weeks after she takes blood im so mad at the situation but at present cant change as i need my meds sorted first

marti8

mrsbyrne wrote: »

there was 2 whole days of a Liveline (Joe Duffy) on this matter earlier on this year. Yes, some GP have started charging medical card patients for some work, for instance blood tests, that up till now were covered by the medical card. apparently,some GPs are finding that the payment they are getting from the HSE to cover medical card patients is just not covering the actual costs, so this is what is happening :(:(.at the time the advice given on Liveline was, if you dont want to pay ,just look for a GP who is not charging and change over to him/her. But better ring HSE anyway.

I don't listen to good aul Joe, lol. Semi-addicted to Newstalk (except the eejit Tom Dunne they have on in the mornings ) Anyway, we're both with the same practice and see whatever doc is on at the time we need to make an appointment - although we usually stick with one doc (not the doc my wife saw yesterday) I've been with that practice for almost 10 years and my wife for the last 6 years or so - moving would be unfortunate but if it came to that then I guess we would. Don't need bloodwork done often at all but it's simply the idea that they are charging patients while already being paid for it by the HSE that's annoying.

However whenever I've had bloodwork there I've never had to pay......Will be giving the HSE a ring after luch anyway to ask what's what.

marti8

Balagan wrote: »

http://www.imt.ie/opinion/2011/04/new-legal-interpretation-needed-on-blood-tests.html


Dr Reilly said blood tests forming part of the investigation and necessary treatment of a patient’s symptoms or conditions should be provided free of charge to medical card and GP visit card holders.

He pointed out that in many GP surgeries, it was the practice nurse who took blood samples.

Dr Reilly added that the Health Service Executive (HSE) significantly subsidised the cost of employing practice nurses.

He said: "If the HSE is made aware of specific cases where GMS patients are being charged by GP contractors, it will arrange to have such cases investigated as appropriate.
http://www.examiner.ie/archives/2011/0412/ireland/gps-criticised-for-charging-medical-card-holders-for-blood-tests-151160.html

A HSE investigation, that's a laugh :rolleyes: In our case it's the doctor who takes the blood as I'm not even sure if they have a nurse employed, I never saw one in all my time going there anyway. But doctor or nurse, the med card is supposed to cover it - is what doctors are doing even legal?!!! No offence to the docs but if they don't like the payments they get for dealing with med card patients then opt out of the GMS system.

dlofnep

Well, I asked my doctor to do a load of bloodwork yesterday for me at my request and he did it for free. He's probably one in a million tbh.

marti8

edellc wrote: »

i was recently diagnosed with under active thyroid this means i have to get blood test every 4-6 wks until my medication is working then it will be every few months
the first two blood tests i got done where free then the receptionist said to me that there was a charge of 10euro for blood tests :eek:
i was made redundant without a redundancy package and now have a small baby its hard enough dealing with the stress of my life getting turned on its head without now having to pay 10euro to be a pin cushions for the nurse in the surgery who leaves me black and blue for weeks after she takes blood im so mad at the situation but at present cant change as i need my meds sorted first

You need to change docs if that is how they are treating you. It's ridiculous. It's a total abuse of people with the lowest incomes in society by those with some of the highest incomes in society. Not only that if they have signed upto the terms of the GMS then what some doctors are doing is most likely illegal and in violation of the contract they have entered into with the HSE - I'm no lawyer but it doesn't take law school to know some basic things.

If they don't like the moula they get from the HSE then let them opt out and stop taking med card patients, let's see just how many would do that. In many practices the majority of patients would be med card holders.

marti8

Well, I've been onto Primary Care in Cork, a section of the HSE, and they are saying someone DOES NOT need to pay and doctors are in breach of their contract if they charge medical patients for bloodwork which the patient has not requested but rather that the doctor has said is needed.

They said contact our doctor inform them we've spoken to Primary Care and that we were told we did not have to pay. All well and good but that puts the patient in a very tricky situation......how will the patient/doctor relationship suffer after that? Primary Care said people can also make a written complaint to them and they in turn will send a warning letter to the doctor concerned telling them they are in breach of contract but that patients name will be public for the doctor to see....again that's an even worse scenario for the patient to be in thenext time they need to see a doctor.

One option is simply to change doctors I guess, you can get what is called a Change of Doctor form (from the HSE) under the Choice of Doctor Scheme....just make sure the doctor you plan to chnage to doesn't also charge for bloodwork. What a crazy situation for patients to be in. Taking bloods is a normal function within a doctors surgery, normal functions such as that are covered under the full cover med card yet some doctors are charging. Not acceptable really.

mrsbyrne

marti8 wrote: »

Well, I've been onto Primary Care in Cork, a section of the HSE, and they are saying someone DOES NOT need to pay and doctors are in breach of their contract if they charge medical patients for bloodwork which the patient has not requested but rather that the doctor has said is needed.

They said contact our doctor inform them we've spoken to Primary Care and that we were told we did not have to pay. All well and good but that puts the patient in a very tricky situation......how will the patient/doctor relationship suffer after that? Primary Care said people can also make a written complaint to them and they in turn will send a warning letter to the doctor concerned telling them they are in breach of contract but that patients name will be public for the doctor to see....again that's an even worse scenario for the patient to be in thenext time they need to see a doctor.

One option is simply to change doctors I guess, you can get what is called a Change of Doctor form (from the HSE) under the Choice of Doctor Scheme....just make sure the doctor you plan to chnage to doesn't also charge for bloodwork. What a crazy situation for patients to be in. Taking bloods is a normal function within a doctors surgery, normal functions such as that are covered under the full cover med card yet some doctors are charging. Not acceptable really.

also i would advise any one not to "burn your boats" with your old GP before looking around for a new GP. lots of GP practices have become very busy and are not taking any more patients. you dont want to read your GP the riot act and flounce out the door, only to have to go crawling back next week because you couldn't get any one to take you on:eek::eek::eek:

marti8

mrsbyrne wrote: »

also i would advise any one not to "burn your boats" with your old GP before looking around for a new GP. lots of GP practices have become very busy and are not taking any more patients. you dont want to read your GP the riot act and flounce out the door, only to have to go crawling back next week because you couldn't get any one to take you on:eek::eek::eek:

Yep, make sure any doc you're thinking of moving to a) can accept Change of Doctor forms, not all can it seems, although most can b) is willing to take new medical card patients and of course c) doesn't charge extra for bloods.

Otherwise it could be a case of Father Jack.....I'm sooooo, soooo, sorryyyy :rolleyes:

NOELER

The blood tests are free for the GP to provide, ie. HSE does not charge them and it does not cost them to have blood analysed. A nice facility and necessary one for GP's, the GP in my family was always afraid HSE would start charging for them but they never did. so the 20 euro or whatever GP charged you, was NOT to the HSE for the test.Only possible cost involved is transport to lab, whcih is the cost of petrol and all the bloods of the days surgery can be taken at same time.

Hal Emmerich

The last time I was in with my GP they had a sign up letting people with Med Cards know that Cholesterol tests were not covered anymore.

NOELER post above is correct.

Irish greed strikes again.

chasm

Just back from my local surgery, they have a sign up stating that medical card holders have to pay €10 and private patients have to pay €20 for blood tests, only caught a glimpse as i was going out the door but not sure if it said something about routine blood tests, so what do they refer to as routine?

marti8

chasm wrote: »

Just back from my local surgery, they have a sign up stating that medical card holders have to pay €10 and private patients have to pay €20 for blood tests, only caught a glimpse as i was going out the door but not sure if it said something about routine blood tests, so what do they refer to as routine?

From what the HSE told me that is in breach of the contract they have with the HSE, so if it's a breach of contract it is in effect illegal. Crazy situation, if, when, we ever need bloods taken again as part of a routine investigation or whatever at the suggestion of the doc we're going to ask if we need to pay and if we do we'll not get the bloods done. Then we'll simply lodge a complaint with the HSE and change doctor to one who doesn't charge.

Cazzy25

Hi

I got blood test done about 2 months ago and had to pay €20

danjo-xx

Got bloods taken last week, not at my request and no charge. But then I'm no spring chicken, maybe age or risk category makes a difference in all this I dunno.

Either way a full medical card is either that or not.

Wish I was young enuf to emmigrate, I'd be gone outa here like a bat out of hell.

chasm

According to an article in the independent from March 2010:

"The HSE West said no official complaints had been received on this issue. "We have in the past received a small number of queries from medical-card patients in relation to being charged for blood tests. "When followed up, these particular blood tests related to screening and were not diagnostic, so the GPs in question were entitled to charge".

A screening blood test relates to a patient who does not have any symptoms. A diagnostic test is sent to a laboratory to find out if particular warning signs a patient may be showing are linked to a particular illness."

http://www.independent.ie/health/latest-news/doctors-take-note-blood-tests-should-be-free-for-people-with-medical-cards-2115487.html

d9oiu2wk07blr5

http://www.imt.ie/news/health-management/2012/03/some-gps-have-reimbursed-patients-over-phlebotomy.html

Complain to get the reimbursement!

cee_jay

Please do not drag up old threads. Thread locked.