While the runaway expenses train rolls down the tracks for government officials and their associates, those at the lower rungs of society will see more cuts to their living standards this year.
A new report from the HSE confirms that up to 50,000 people will lose their medical card in 2016, as a result of ‘reviews’ of eligibility and retention criteria.
The original attack plans on the vulnerable called for a cull of 125,000 cards, but concerns were raised due to the proximity of the election. Thus, the medical card raid was scaled down to take about half that amount.
One of the reasons quoted by the HSE for the medical card removal was “change in government policy and political landscape”.