368. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Health the cost of reducing the monthly cost of drugs to €50. [43775/24]

The Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS) provides for the refund of the amount by which expenditure on approved prescribed medicines or medical and surgical appliances exceeds a named threshold in any calendar month. The DPS is not means tested and is available to anyone ordinarily resident in Ireland.

The DPS threshold was reduced twice in 2022:

• From €114 to €100 per month on 1 January 2022.

• From €100 to €80 per month on 1 March 2022.

Therefore, currently, under the DPS, no individual or family pays more than €80 a month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The DPS significantly reduces the cost burden for people with ongoing expenditure on medicines.

The estimated full year cost of reducing the DPS threshold to €50 is €67m. This costing does not take account of demographic changes, changes in eligibility (e.g., loss of medical cards), or how a reduction in the DPS threshold may impact claimant behaviour.