Community Services Card

You may have noticed over the past couple of months that information about the Community Service Card has been available in your RSA.

Take one of the leaflets, and if you think you might qualify ring 0800 999 999 and speak to one of the Call Centre staff to get expert advice on whether you should make an application.

If your income is too high to qualify for a Community Service Card, but you attend your doctor frequently and have heavy on-going prescription charges, you may be entitled to a High Use Health Card.

This time you should talk to your doctor. The surgery will have a record of your visits and the medication you are receiving. Your doctor will make the application for this card for you.

Remember, the only person who can benefit from the subsidies is the person named the card. You cannot go and get prescription medication for another member of your family using your card.

Once you have the card you can take it to the doctor’s surgery and to the pharmacist and get your extra subsidies immediately.

If you would like more information about the High Use Health Card please ring 0800 252 464 and select option 1.

A third card is available for those people with large numbers of prescriptions in their immediate family, the Pharmaceutical Subsidy Card. This card provides some help to people who do not have a Community service Card or a High Use Health Card. It is not income tested.

Your chemist will automatically keep a record of the number of prescriptions that you and your family are getting. (You may have to inform your pharmacist if your partner or a child has a different surname, but are living as a member of your family household). Once you reach 20 prescriptions for subsidised items then your chemist will issue you with a Pharmaceutical Subsidy Card, which will have your name, and the names of other family members who qualify for extra subsidies on prescription medication.

If you always go to the same chemist this will be an easy operation. If you go to a number of different chemists keep your receipts and show them to the chemist that you use most frequently, and he or she will then issue the card when you reach 20 prescriptions for subsidised items. The extra subsidies are available to you until the following 31 January, when you start the system again.

You should take you card with you when you take a prescription to a pharmacy and show it to ensure that you get the extra subsidy.

Please note that the card does not cover herbal remedies and supplements. Remember also that some prescription items have a premium on them, this will not be reduced by the extra subsidy.