Written answer
Health Services
The Minister said free HRT medication and dispensing fees began in June 2025, but there are no plans to fund GP consultation costs or expand eligibility.
3523. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health her plans to make hormone replacement therapy free by funding GP consultation costs that are necessary to avail of treatment. [60376/26]
Comment on this
Progressing menopause care is a key action in the Women’s Health Action Plans. A number of measures have been implemented in recent years to improve the experience of menopause for women in Ireland, including the Free Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Arrangement, introduced in June 2025.
Under this new measure, where a woman has been prescribed a Hormone Replacement Therapy product by her healthcare provider for the purpose of alleviating the symptoms associated with all stages of menopause, the cost of the HRT medications or products, and the dispensing fees will be met by the State.
The HRT arrangement is underpinned legislatively by the Health Insurance (Amendment) and Health (Provision of Menopause Products) Act 2024. The legislation covers the cost of the HRT medications or products, and the dispensing fees.
There are no plans to expand the eligibility of this measure at this point.