Doctor charges on illness benefit

Crann na Beatha

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mp22

Social welfare certs from your GP should not be charged for,however if you require a doctors cert for an employer also, the GP will charge for this.

Most employers will be happy enough with a photo copy of the social welfare cert.

d9oiu2wk07blr5

Aquila wrote: »

Hey,
A family member is currently on illness benefit,he was getting a weekly sick cert and a weekly social welfare cert to get paid,It was costing him 10 euro,and he recieved a receipt each time.after he had his evaluation with a doctor form the department he now has to submit his medical cert every 4 weeks and i imagine the cert to his employer will be monthly,now its at the cost of 30 euro.

Reason why im writing this is a family friend is adamant that he shouldn't have been paying anything to the doctor as he is a medical card holder?
Is this fact or fiction?
Thank you

The GP should not be levying charges on GMS holders for either the IB cert or certs for work. Tell your friend to ask the GP for a receipt detailing the stated purpose of the charge!

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/gp_services/gp_services_to_medical_card_holders.html

edellc

Cheeky GP, your friend should not be charged a cent, like said above ask for a detailed receipt for what exactly the 10euro is for, and if there is a email address on the link supplied above then report the GP also

d9oiu2wk07blr5

The GP can be reported to the PCRS if your friend chooses to go down that route.

http://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/PCRS/Contact_PCRS/

yabadabado

GP's actually get paid by DSP for issuing the certs.

I always thought you paid the GP for your first appointment and once it was the same illness you didnt pay anything for follow up sick certs.

Pay nothing if you if you have a medical card.

Posy

The OP says that their family member has a medical card- where do you stand if you don't?

Someone in my family will be having chemotherapy and will have to get weekly sick certs for at least 6 months for the illness benefit.
Her GP has said he will fill in the weekly sick cert and that it will be €25 for each cert- is this the norm?!
Or is this a set amount that is reimbursed? €25 per week for 6/7 months seems an awful lot to me, but I have no idea if this is about right or not. If she's being ripped off, I'll be telling her get a new GP pronto!

Also, would she have to get all the weekly MC 2 forms from her actual GP? I would assume her hospital doctor could fill them out when she is there, but again, I have no idea- this is all new to me!

(I'll be asking her hospital doctor anyway, but it'd be nice to have some sort of idea first!)

yabadabado

Posy wrote: »

The OP says that their family member has a medical card- where do you stand if you don't?

Someone in my family will be having chemotherapy and will have to get weekly sick certs for at least 6 months for the illness benefit.
Her GP has said he will fill in the weekly sick cert and that it will be €25 for each cert- is this the norm?!
Or is this a set amount that is reimbursed? €25 per week for 6/7 months seems an awful lot to me, but I have no idea if this is about right or not. If she's being ripped off, I'll be telling her get a new GP pronto!

Also, would she have to get all the weekly MC 2 forms from her actual GP? I would assume her hospital doctor could fill them out when she is there, but again, I have no idea- this is all new to me!

(I'll be asking her hospital doctor anyway, but it'd be nice to have some sort of idea first!)

AFAIK the doctor cant charge for the weekly cert,just the original appointment and can be reported if they do.

She should contact the Illness benefit section and ask them can she be put on monthly certs.

d9oiu2wk07blr5

Posy wrote: »

The OP says that their family member has a medical card- where do you stand if you don't?

Someone in my family will be having chemotherapy and will have to get weekly sick certs for at least 6 months for the illness benefit.
Her GP has said he will fill in the weekly sick cert and that it will be €25 for each cert- is this the norm?!
Or is this a set amount that is reimbursed? €25 per week for 6/7 months seems an awful lot to me, but I have no idea if this is about right or not. If she's being ripped off, I'll be telling her get a new GP pronto!

Also, would she have to get all the weekly MC 2 forms from her actual GP? I would assume her hospital doctor could fill them out when she is there, but again, I have no idea- this is all new to me!

(I'll be asking her hospital doctor anyway, but it'd be nice to have some sort of idea first!)

I think this answers your question.

The duties of a Medical Certifier under Social Welfare Legislation are to:

Examine patients who are making claims to illness or disability schemes and complete and issue, free of charge to the patient, a medical certificate on the official form, where s/he is satisfied that the patient is incapable of work due to some specific disease or bodily or mental disablement;
Complete and issue medical certificates of confinement, free of charge to the patient, on the official form in respect of Maternity Benefit Claims;
Complete and return medical report forms, free of charge to the patient, when requested to do so by the Department.

Again, if the GP is charging for a social welfare cert, I'd ask them for a receipt which details the amount and exact purpose of the charge, and thereafter I'd report the GP to the Department of Social Protection. I'd also change GP's.

Your family member may also be entitled to a GMS/GP visit card while undergoing chemo.

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/OperationalGuidelines/Pages/medcertifiers.aspx#1