new in Ireland - how do I get prescription meds

justaperson

I moved to Ireland several months ago to work and I am soon out of my prescription meds. I still have a valid European Health card from Italy.

I am totally lost on how I should proceed, the healthcare system in Ireland hardly makes any sense to me at all.

I have an autoimmune condition and I used to get the meds prescribed by the gp. So my needs are prescription medication, yearly blood tests for the condition monitoring (watching out for worsening/cancer) and sometimes I need to deal with new symptoms.

I have several questions:
1) is my condition considered a preexisting condition and does it mean that no insurance will cover any related costs?
If so, it seems useless to have any insurance, as many problems can be attributed to the condition.

2) Can the GP prescribe the meds, if I bring the blood work and papers from my previous doctors with the diagnosis? (Unfortunately the papers are in Italian, but the disease name and blood tests are the same)

3) Are prescription meds costs partially covered by insurance?


Thanks

siochain

justaperson wrote: »

I moved to Ireland several months ago to work and I am soon out of my prescription meds. I still have a valid European Health card from Italy.

I am totally lost on how I should proceed, the healthcare system in Ireland hardly makes any sense to me at all.

I have an autoimmune condition and I used to get the meds prescribed by the gp. So my needs are prescription medication, yearly blood tests for the condition monitoring (watching out for worsening/cancer) and sometimes I need to deal with new symptoms.

I have several questions:
1) is my condition considered a preexisting condition and does it mean that no insurance will cover any related costs?
If so, it seems useless to have any insurance, as many problems can be attributed to the condition.

2) Can the GP prescribe the meds, if I bring the blood work and papers from my previous doctors with the diagnosis? (Unfortunately the papers are in Italian, but the disease name and blood tests are the same)

3) Are prescription meds costs partially covered by insurance?


Thanks

1 call insurance companies you maybe ok after 6 months

2 bring what documentation you have but I would expect that doc won't do anything with out a new blood test done.

3 unfortunately not. If you PRSI payer for a certain length of time you may qualify for the €140 cap.

justaperson

thanks for such a prompt reply!

Calling the insurance companies tomorrow

huskerdu

If your condition is controlled by medication then private health insurance may not help you Most health insurance is designed to cover hospital visits and surgery and often only covers part of the cost of doctor visits, so may not be worth it.

Go to a GP and explain your situation. The GP will tell you they can treat you, or if you need to go to a consultant specialist in the relevant area.

A visit to a GP is typically €40 - €60. A consultant will typically charge 120-150 per visit for a private patient.
Your GP can refer to a public consultant but there may be a waiting list, and you presumably cant wait 6 months,

Blood tests are carried out for free in Irish hospitals for all patients - public and private.

Health insurance will not pay anything towards drugs. However, If your meds cost more than €144 per month, the Gov will pay the rest.

Apply for a Drugs Payment Card to do this. Here is an explanation.
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/entitlement_to_health_services/drugs_payment_scheme.html

You can get tax relief for most medical expenses, so keep the receipts.
Here is a useful summary on this topic

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money_and_tax/tax/income_tax_credits_and_reliefs/taxation_and_medical_expenses.html

In summary, your first step is to visit a GP and find out about how your condition can be treated.

BTW, lots of other useful info about the Irish public system can be found on www.citizensinformation.ie

justaperson

It is true, my condition is controlled by medication

For the moment, I am going to schedule a GP visit next week, I found a clinic stating they admit people with the European health card, hoping to get the prescription.

Thanks for your advices!

Oryx

The Long Term Illness forum may be of help to you, let me know if you want this thread moved there.

calfmuscle

Your condition may qualify you to be covered under the Long Term Illness Scheme. This would entitle you to free medication for this condition. As others have said the GP is the first person to speak to. They will tell you how to proceed and refer you on to a Consultant to monitor your condition.