In the Republic of Ireland, approximately 30% of the population ('medical card patients') are entitled to free general practice services. Eligibility is determined primarily on the basis of an income means test. The remaining 70% of the population ('private patients') must pay the full cost of...

<Para ID="Par1">The majority of the Irish population pay the full out-of-pocket price of a GP visit, with only those on low incomes exempt. While there is an extensive literature analysing the impact of the Irish system of eligibility for free GP care on GP visiting rates among adults, there is a lack of...</para>

In Ireland, approximately 30% of the population receive free GP services ('medical card patients') while the remainder ('private patients') must pay for each visit. In 1989, the manner in which GPs were reimbursed by the State for their medical card patients was changed from fee-for-service to...