high-dependency drugs scheme

horse7

re; rte news yesterday
Free GP care for the 56,000 people who are registered as having a long-term illness will come into effect in early March 2012, according to Minister Roisin Shortall.
Ms Shortall is the Minister of State at the Department of Health and is responsible for primary care.
She also said that from March 2013, the 50,000 patients who are on the high-dependency drugs scheme will also no longer pay GP fees. I cannot find any information about a high-dependency drugs scheme. Does anyone know about such a scheme. I have googled,and looked at hse ,but the only scheme i know of is the drug refund scheme(pay up to 120euro a month).

cee_jay

There is a long term illness scheme?
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/health_related_benefits_and_entitlements/long_term_illness_scheme.html

horse7

yes there is, but is there a high dependancy drugs scheme?

cee_jay

horse7 wrote: »

Free GP care for the 56,000 people who are registered as having a long-term illness

Is it one and the same thing?
The start says long-term illness, then they change to high-dependency drugs scheme

foggy_lad

cee_jay wrote: »

Is it one and the same thing?
The start says long-term illness, then they change to high-dependency drugs scheme

No they are seperate schemes.

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=20044

Minister for Primary Care Roisin Shortall announced yesterday that people registered under the long-term illness scheme* will be able to avail of free GP visits from March of next year - they already receive free drugs under this scheme.

Following this, from March 2013, patients on the high-dependency drugs scheme will also no longer pay GP fees. These changes will give free GP care to an additional 100,000 people.

The High Dependency Scheme possibly relates to people availing of cancer care services and other essential life saving medications/devices which they are highly dependant on or where they are under the care of a hospital for their condition rather than just their GP or possibly those getting psychiatric medicines who are over 16?

horse7

so what is the high-dependency drugs scheme?

dudara

Maybe the Long Term Illness forum can provide more answers

dudara

FluffyCat

Could they have meant the High Tech Scheme??

Only one Ive heard of, never high dependency. Its meds for the like of cancer and MS.

Either way, Ill believe the free GP service when I see it!!

horse7

thats another one i havent heard of. do you know anything about a high tech scheme or are you referring to high tech medicne?

byhookorbycrook

High tech scheme is different to the long term illness scheme. I used to get betaferon for my MS through the high tech scheme (cost about €1,500 a month!!!)I get most of my MS related meds on the LTI scheme, but my Tysabri,which has to be administered in a hospital is covered by VHI.

horse7

so when you say cost1500euro a month,what did you have to pay?

byhookorbycrook

nothing, it was covered under the high tech scheme.

nesf

This was a campaign promise by FG if I remember correctly. A damn pity mental illness for adults doesn't count as a LTI under the scheme.

horse7

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

nothing, it was covered under the high tech scheme.

where could i get some info on this scheme.my friend is on humera(high tech medicne cleared by hse and dispensed in the chemist). they pay 120euro a month,and have been doing so for the past 30years(varing with drug refund limits for any given year). can one apply to be on this scheme.

FluffyCat

horse7 wrote: »

where could i get some info on this scheme.my friend is on humera(high tech medicne cleared by hse and dispensed in the chemist). they pay 120euro a month,and have been doing so for the past 30years(varing with drug refund limits for any given year). can one apply to be on this scheme.

For a high tech drug to be free, it has to be also covered on the LTI scheme. Alot of people have to pay 120 for high tech drugs because they are not for LTI illnesses.

I, for example, am on betaferon for MS. As betaferon is a high tech drug and MS is a LTI, I dont pay.

However, enbral is also a high tech drug but it treats psoriasis which is not an LTI so the patient will pay.

As rheumatoid arthritis is not classed as an LTI, any medication, high tech or not, will not be free.

Barnseire

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

High tech scheme is different to the long term illness scheme. I used to get betaferon for my MS through the high tech scheme (cost about €1,500 a month!!!)I get most of my MS related meds on the LTI scheme, but my Tysabri,which has to be administered in a hospital is covered by VHI.

Hi, my partner stopped stopped BetaFearon recently and is moving over to Tysabri to be administered in the Mater private. The VHI have said it's covered but are going to charge 125euro exceess for each infusion. Did they charge you as well ?

gramarian

Hi Barnseire,

I was wondering if VHI explained why you had to pay the €125 excess for the Tysabri infusion? Was is based on your VHI plan or is it standard to pay that excess on Tysabri regardless of what plan you are on?

Thanks!

byhookorbycrook

I don't pay any excess on my Tysabri, sounds a bit odd. We are considered as day patients, not out patients, if you follow.

Barnseire

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

I don't pay any excess on my Tysabri, sounds a bit odd. We are considered as day patients, not out patients, if you follow.

We are being given the infusion as a 'side room' procedure in the Mater private under VHI One Plan 1.10. Can I ask what plan are you on and where are you receiving your infusions ?

byhookorbycrook

Plan B and in the Bons in Tralee

locum-motion

Just for clarification:

There isn't really a High Tech Scheme as such.

There are High Tech Medications, which are paid for by the state on one or other of the other existing Community Drug Schemes, that is: the GMS scheme, the LTI scheme, the HAA scheme or the DP scheme. In the case of the DPS, the Patient pays the threshold value (currently €132 per calendar month), with the state picking up the rest of the tab. In the case of the others, the state pays the lot.


And also: I've never heard of this 'High Dependancy Drugs Scheme' that the OP mentioned. And I've been working in Pharmacy for 24 years!

Richard Dower

^ yes...it's high tech meds, like i get Humira which is a high tech med...i pay nothing.

The_Conductor

gramarian wrote: »

Hi Barnseire,

I was wondering if VHI explained why you had to pay the €125 excess for the Tysabri infusion? Was is based on your VHI plan or is it standard to pay that excess on Tysabri regardless of what plan you are on?

Thanks!

It depends on which scheme you're on- there is an excess associated with certain plans in certain hospitals- aka your Tysabri may be free in one hospital- but have an excess in a different hospital. You really need to ring the VHI and confirm the scheme details (and they can also tell you which hospitals would receive 100% cover). I have 100% cover for St. Vincents Private (under Forward Plan Level 2) but only have 50% cover in the hi-tech hospitals (50% excess, depending on the procedure). Ring the VHI and go through your options with them. It sounds like a different scheme may be more appropriate to you.

Barnseire

smccarrick wrote: »

It depends on which scheme you're on- there is an excess associated with certain plans in certain hospitals- aka your Tysabri may be free in one hospital- but have an excess in a different hospital. You really need to ring the VHI and confirm the scheme details (and they can also tell you which hospitals would receive 100% cover). I have 100% cover for St. Vincents Private (under Forward Plan Level 2) but only have 50% cover in the hi-tech hospitals (50% excess, depending on the procedure). Ring the VHI and go through your options with them. It sounds like a different scheme may be more appropriate to you.

Thanks for that, will ring Insurer. Do you know off-hand, if you can change your scheme to a different one to avoid the excess ?

alliejane

as I have a long term illness and do not have a medical card or GP visit card I contacted local hse office,medical card office finglas, cits advise, my doc, none of them know a thing about when it will be available.In the end rang my local td office and his secetary got back to me, was supposed to com in to action in march 2012 for LTI book holders, but they are waiting for it to go through usual legal procedures so may cannot confirm when it will actually begin, pity FG made such a song about it in the budget and this is supposed to be the start of free health care for all, this generation will never see it, like other governments they can never get the finger out and just get the job done,funny how quickly they can move when taking things away.......

cathy01

is the GP care only in relation to the reason the person got the lti in the first place.Epilepsy is covered under LTI, so would it only be visits in relation to epilepsy?Thanks, Cathy

echo beach

cathy01 wrote: »

is the GP care only in relation to the reason the person got the lti in the first place.Epilepsy is covered under LTI, so would it only be visits in relation to epilepsy?Thanks, Cathy

The LTI book does not cover GP care. You still have to pay your doctor. The only medicines covered free of charge are those for the condition, e.g. anti-epileptics for epilepsy but not other meds, say antibiotics.

Diabetics with an LTI book can also get meds for certain conditions like high blood pressure or high cholesterol (what your doctor calls 'cardiovascular' meds), as these often come with diabetes.