Medical Card Allowances
Hair Loss & Breast Care
The medical card allowance for wigs & breast care products is available every year. For Irish customers, if you have a valid medical card you may be entitled to funding towards a wig or hair piece due to hair loss caused by alopecia or cancer treatment; or mastectomy bras, breast prostheses, mastectomy swimwear and swim prostheses due to cancer related breast surgery. What’s more, breast care products are available every year after surgery to medical card holders, products and allowances vary.
In late December 2024, the HSE implemented a New Standardised Allowance for wigs and breast care products, designed to provide equitable support for all cancer patients across Ireland. Previously, access to these allowances was restricted by address and limited to medical card holders, creating challenges for many individuals. With this new scheme, all cancer patients can now benefit from consistent financial assistance, regardless of their address or eligibility status, ensuring greater access to essential products during treatment and recovery.
As of yet, the HSE have not made any amendments to the allowance for alopecia. This alopecia wig grant still abides by the old guidelines requiring a valid medical card and the allowance value determined by the clients home address.
Wig Allowances Vary From €440 To €770 And Breastcare Allowances start at €450
Applying For The HSE Allowance For Wigs & Breast Care Products
We can take care of processing your HSE allowance for wigs & breast care products. We have been doing this for clients for years, so you do not have to worry about anything. Below you will find out what is needed to make a claim.
Breast care products after mastectomy surgery:
- A prescription/letter from your doctor.
Cancer related hair loss:
- A prescription/letter from your doctor.
Alopecia related hair loss:
- A valid Medical Card
- A prescription/letter from your doctor
Wig Prescription
Ask your GP or medical professional to write you a prescription for a wig/hair piece, for medical hair loss due to alopecia or cancer treatment.
If your doctor is unsure what to give you, you can direct them to use our wig prescription template. However, for it to be valid it is essential that they use their headed paper when printing or saving it.
Breast Care Prescription
As of late December 2024, the HSE introduced a New Standardised Allowance for breast care products, ensuring fair and equal support for all cancer patients across Ireland. Previously, allowances varied by location and were only available to medical card holders, creating barriers for many. Now, this updated scheme is available to all cancer patients, regardless of eligibility status or address, providing consistent financial support for essential products during their treatment and recovery.
If you have had breast surgery for cancer treatment, you are entitled to an annual allowance towards your breast prosthesis, mastectomy bras, mastectomy swimwear and swim prosthesis.
Ask your GP or medical professional to write you a prescription for all breast care products listed below. This way we can ensure to obtain your maximum benefit without needing additional prescriptions, essentially, if a product is not mentioned on your prescription, you cannot apply for it.
- Mastectomy Bras x2
- Breast Prosthesis x1 (2 for bilateral surgery types)
- Swimming Breast Prosthesis x1 (2 for bilateral surgery types)
- Mastectomy Swimwear x1
If your doctor is unsure what to give you, you can direct them to use our breast care prescription template. However, for it to be valid it is essential that they use their headed paper when printing or saving it.
Please note, allowances have a financial cap set by the HSE. Although you may be prescribed 2x mastectomy bras they are subject to a maximum financial cost, if you choose products above your financial cap you will need to pay this balance.
Roches has been actively campaigning for the standardisation of allowances for many years, to make life easier for our clients. This includes a meeting with the HSE and Dept of Health in 2017. We are delighted to finally see standardisation and appropriate allowances to cover the cost of the essential products women need after surgery, and beyond.
Prescriptions For The Medical Card Allowance For Wigs & Breast Care
Prescriptions can be emailed, posted or given to us directly at the time of your appointment. If you need to send it to us you, your doctor, or hospital nurse can send the prescription to us any of these ways:
- Email: info@Roches.ie
- Post: Roches Wigs & Breast Care, 153 Kimmage Road Lower, Dublin 6W, D6W RD30
Need Your Wig, Hair Piece Or Breast Care Products In A Hurry?
We understand that hair loss may not adhere to medical card application time frames, so we are happy to provide wigs and breast care first-fit products if needed sooner than HSE wig allowance approval and payment arrive. In this event, all we need to proceed from you is a valid medical card and prescription.
If you have applied for a medical card and are waiting for it to arrive, we are happy to hold your wig or breast care products until it arrives. Alternatively, you can purchase your wig or mastectomy wear and we will refund you the amount following your medical card arrival and your HSE allowance approval. The choice is yous.
My Chosen Products Are More Expensive Than My Allowance
If your chosen wig or breast care product(s) are priced higher than your medical card allowance for wigs & breast care allowance, you can pay the difference to us directly. Alternatively, for wig purchases, you might be able to claim from your PRSI for the balance. You can check out the PRSI Wig Grant details here.
