Budget 2017

This year’s Budget has brought little relief to many of the thousands of cancer patients struggling to pay for the costs associated with their disease, says the Irish Cancer Society. Expressing its disappointment, the charity said that Budget 2017 was a missed opportunity to relieve some of the indiscriminate statutory charges that cancer patients are being hammered with.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"6242","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"384","style":"width: 250px; height: 200px; float: right; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 2px;","width":"480"}}]]Reacting to Budget 2017, Donal Buggy Head of Services and Advocacy at the Irish Cancer Society said: “While we welcome the small decrease in the prescription charge for over-70s, this piecemeal change ignores the crippling financial impact of huge increases to statutory charges on all cancer patients since 2008.”

Mr. Buggy said: “Over €600m in annual costs have been transferred from the State to the patient since 2008. These costs are levied on us when we’re sick, when we may be working reduced hours because of our illness and when we’re experiencing increased out-of-pocket payments for things like hospital car-parking, non-prescription medication and increased childcare costs.”

“Increased statutory charges have been an albatross around the neck of cancer patients and we are calling on the Ministers for Health and Public Expenditure to move swiftly to put plans in place to reduce the financial burden of the disease.”

The Society is asking Government to take further action to ensure support for people hit with the financial impact of a cancer diagnosis.

Mr. Buggy has asked that “proposals set out in our Pre-Budget Submission. “Making Life Easier”, to abolish the prescription charge, reduce the amount patients pay under the Drugs Payment Scheme to €85 a month, and to abolish inpatient charges” are adopted to “help alleviate the cost of a cancer diagnosis.”

“Our fully-costed proposals, if implemented, would save cancer patients and survivors with medical cards up to €300 a year, and those without medical cards up to €1450 a year.”

The Irish Cancer Society said that while the reduction in prescription charges for over-70s will go some way to helping an especially vulnerable group, the Government hasn’t followed through on its Programme for Government commitments to reduce the prescription charges and the Drugs Payment Scheme payment threshold: “there are clear commitments on these issues in the Programme for Government, which seem to have been all but abandoned”, said Mr. Buggy.

Last year, the Irish Cancer Society published its Real Cost of Cancer report which highlighted the immense cost of a cancer diagnosis. This in-depth survey of cancer patients, survivors, carers and families found that the average cost of a diagnosis was €862 a month. This is before taking into account the average loss in income of almost €17,000 a year for those who have to give up work or take reduced hours to undergo treatment.

Mr. Buggy concluded: “Government charges are the final straw for patients, many of whom are already crippled by the impact of a reduced income and increased costs. While the piecemeal progress in this year’s Budget is a real let-down for many, the Irish Cancer Society will continue to push for reduced out of pocket payments, so those facing huge additional bills can get help from the state when they need it most”.

CIGARETTE EXCISE INCREASE

The Irish Cancer Society has welcomed the Government’s announcement that the price of cigarettes will increase by a further 50 cent from tonight, which it says will act as a disincentive for children to start smoking and will encourage current smokers to quit. The 50 cent increase is the second at this rate in 12 months and the Society says that sharp, regular spikes in tobacco price will help the Government reach its target of a Tobacco Free Ireland by 2025.

Donal Buggy, Head of Services and Advocacy at the Irish Cancer Society said: “The Irish Cancer Society is pleased that price continues to rise at such a significant rate. It sends a strong signal to the tobacco industry that the Government is serious about reaching its target of a Tobacco Free Ireland by 2025. The price hike, which will mean the most popular priced cigarettes will cost over €11 a packet, will encourage people to stop smoking and ultimately save lives.”

In its joint pre-Budget submission with the Irish Heart Foundation, the Society called for the introduction of a tobacco tax escalator (inflation +5%) that would ensure regular increases in excise and a second consecutive rise of 50 cent.

Mr. Buggy said: “Regular, sharp increases in price, send a clear message to smokers that prices will continue to rise, and will act as an incentive to quit.”

Mr. Buggy noted that price increases alone would not achieve the target of a Tobacco Free Ireland by 2025. “Price increases, while hugely important in increasing quit rates, need to be accompanied by readily available supports for smokers to quit. Making nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) available free of charge to all those enrolled in smoking cessation programmes, would help ensure that the two-thirds of smokers who want to quit get the support they need”.

According to the Society’s joint pre-Budget submission with the Irish Heart Foundation, NRT makes smokers 50-70% more likely to quit.

The Society also welcomed the pro-rata increase in other tobacco products. Mr. Buggy said: “we welcome the pro-rata increase on other tobacco products. We have seen a clear substitution impact in recent years, with many switching from cigarettes to roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco, and we want to see tax on RYO increase until they are equivalent with cigarettes”.