The Cabinet has accepted a recommendation that GPs should be paid a single fee of €290 a year, for treating each patient over 70 who is eligible for a medical card.
The recommendation was made in a report from former Secretary General of Public Service Management Development Eddie Sullivan and follows Budget changes to end the automatic entitlement to a card, from 1 January.
Currently GPs are paid a fee of €640 for people over 70 years who have received a medical card automatically on age grounds.
The Department of Health says the revised fee will generate savings of about €16m next year.
The Irish Medical Organisation is expected to consider the recommendation at a meeting tomorrow and may decide to ballot its 2,200 GP members on the issue.
