The Long Term Illness Scheme in Ireland
The Long Term Illness Scheme provides free medicines and appliances for sixteen listed conditions, with no means test and no monthly charge. Diabetes is one of them. If you have type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 treatments prescribed for that condition cost you nothing under this scheme, whatever your income.
This is the most generous State scheme in Ireland and the least known. There is no means test, no cap and no charge. If you have diabetes and are not registered, you are almost certainly paying money you do not need to pay.
What the Long Term Illness Scheme covers
Medicines, appliances and surgical items directly related to the listed condition, supplied free of charge. No means test, no monthly cap, no per-item fee.
The scheme covers only what treats the listed condition. A person registered for diabetes gets their diabetes medicines free, but pays normally for unrelated prescriptions, which is why it sits alongside a medical card or the Drugs Payment Scheme rather than replacing them.
The sixteen conditions the Long Term Illness Scheme covers
Acute leukaemia, mental handicap, cerebral palsy, mental illness in those under 16, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes insipidus, muscular dystrophies, diabetes mellitus, parkinsonism, epilepsy, phenylketonuria, haemophilia, spina bifida, hydrocephalus and conditions arising from thalidomide.
The list is fixed in legislation and has not changed in many years. Obesity is not on it, and neither is any weight-related condition.
How this affects GLP-1 costs
Diabetes mellitus is on the list. That makes this the single most valuable scheme available to anyone with type 2 diabetes prescribed a GLP-1 treatment.
| Scheme | Monthly cost | Means tested |
|---|---|---|
| Long Term Illness | €0 | No |
| Medical card | €1.50/item, €20 cap | Yes |
| Drugs Payment Scheme | €80 cap | No |
| None | €198–€554.95 | — |
An Ozempic prescription for type 2 diabetes costs €260 privately, €80 under the Drugs Payment Scheme, €1.50 with a medical card, and nothing at all under this scheme.
The scheme does not cover weight loss prescriptions. Obesity is not a listed condition. A GLP-1 prescribed for weight management falls outside the scheme regardless of registration, exactly as it falls outside the medical card and the Drugs Payment Scheme.
How to register for the Long Term Illness Scheme
- 1 Get the LTI application form from your Local Health Office, your GP or the HSE website.
- 2 Your GP or consultant completes the medical section confirming the diagnosis. No income details are required at any point.
- 3 Submit it to your Local Health Office. A long term illness book issues once approved.
- 4 Present the book at the pharmacy each time. Cover applies from issue, not retrospectively.
Details are on the HSE website and Citizens Information.
Long Term Illness Scheme points people miss
- It runs alongside a medical card. Having one does not exclude the other, and the LTI book is better for the listed condition.
- No means test at all. Income is never assessed. If you have diabetes, you qualify.
- It covers appliances too, including glucose monitoring supplies and needles, which adds up over a year.
- Register at diagnosis. Cover starts from issue, so any delay is money out of pocket.
Let us find your price and your prescriber
Tell us your county. We will come back with the best price near you and an Irish specialist who can assess whether it suits you.
- The best price available near you, pharmacy by pharmacy
- An Irish specialist who can assess you and prescribe if suitable
- Whether your case is likely to qualify for State reimbursement
More on State funding for GLP-1 treatment in Ireland
The Drugs Payment Scheme explained
Why the €80 cap covers one semaglutide and not the other.
GuideOzempic vs Wegovy
Same molecule, opposite answers on licence and funding.
GuideGLP-1 side effects
What to expect, how long it lasts, when to see a doctor.
The Drugs Payment Scheme in Ireland
How the €80 monthly cap works and which treatments it covers.
GuideMedical card and weight loss medication
What the card covers, and the indication rule that decides it.
GuideOzempic in Ireland: cost and access
Why the diabetes licence changes what you pay.
The Long Term Illness Scheme: common questions
A HSE scheme providing free medicines, appliances and surgical items for sixteen listed conditions. There is no means test, no monthly cap and no charge per item. Cover extends only to items treating the listed condition.
Yes. Both diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus are on the list. Anyone with a confirmed diagnosis qualifies regardless of income, and diabetes medicines including GLP-1 treatments prescribed for that condition are supplied free.
No. Obesity is not a listed condition. A GLP-1 treatment prescribed for weight management falls outside the scheme. Prescribed for type 2 diabetes, it is covered in full.
Yes. They run alongside each other. The LTI book is better for medicines treating the listed condition, since those cost nothing rather than €1.50 an item.
Get the form from your Local Health Office, GP or the HSE website. Your GP or consultant completes the medical section confirming the diagnosis. No income details are needed. Submit it to your Local Health Office and a book issues once approved.