Dublin: The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has today received government approval for the General Scheme of the Health (Exemption for Children from Public In-Patient Charges) Bill 2022.
The Bill proposes to abolish both overnight and day case public in-patient charges for children, by removing the existing acute statutory in-patient charge of €80 per night for all children less than 16 years of age in all public hospitals.
Announcing publication of the new legislation, Minister Donnelly said:
“I am delighted to receive government approval to publish the General Scheme of this important Bill.
“Better access, together with affordability and improved quality are my top three priorities in healthcare. This legislation, when enacted, will ease the financial burden of parents/guardians when bringing their child to hospital for in-patient care, helping to ensure that cost is not a significant consideration for families when children require access to in-patient treatment.”
The General Scheme will now be referred to the Office of the Attorney General for priority drafting of the Bill. The text of the Bill will be finalized as a matter of urgency, and it is intended to progress the legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas as a priority in the coming weeks. The General Scheme will be published on the Department of Health’s website.
Notes:
Currently public patients (including children) are subject to a statutory public in-patient charge of €80 per night, up to a maximum of 10 nights (€800) in a 12-month period. Medical card holders and other certain specific classes of persons are exempt from these charges. Primary legislation will be needed to set out the legislative amendments required to the Health Act 1970 to abolish the public in-patient charge for children under 16 years of age.
Funding was provided in Budget 2022 for measures to alleviate the financial burden of statutory hospital charges incurred for children accessing care in a public hospital. The text of the Bill will now be finalised by the Department of Health in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General and published as soon as it is finalised. The Minister for Health intends to publish the text of the Bill, when finalised, and to progress the legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas as a priority in the coming weeks.
Press release : Minister Donnelly publishes the General Scheme of the Health (Exemption for Children from Public In-Patient Charges) Bill 2022
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