Free GP care is to be extended to around 78,000 children aged six and seven from August.
Under a new €130 million deal announced today, GP care will also be extended on a phased basis to around 430,000 people, earning no more than the average household income.
Applications for GP cards for children aged between six and seven will open on 11 August.
The first phase of cards for those earning up to the average household income will begin on 11 September, with single people living alone the first group to be eligible.
The median household income last year was €46,999.
It follows a new deal agreed between the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and the Government after several months of talks, that was announced today.
The Minister for Health has described the today's Cabinet approval to extend the free GP care to children "as the biggest expansion in free GP care in the history of the State".
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime programme, Stephen Donnelly said: "Today we agreed to expand the number of men, women and children by half a million.
"We have people in the country who are putting off going to the doctor themselves or even more egregiously, feel they can't bring their child to the doctor because they just don’t have that €50, €60 and they are very concerned about it.
"This covers the child coming in potentially several times during the year."
The planned extension of free GP care for children aged six and seven was announced in Budget 2021, but had been delayed due to negotiations with doctors who had expressed concerns about their capacity to take on the extra work.
Legislation to provide for the extension of GP care without fees to six and seven-year-olds was published in June 2020.
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The IMO element of the new deal for GPs is understood to cost around €130 million.
It will involve significant financial assistance for the retention and recruitment of practice nurses and other supports for general practice.
The IMO was expected to notify members today of the offer in an online briefing and will then hold meetings around the country.
It will be up to individual GPs to decide if they wish to take on the extra patients.
Minister Donnelly also said that the number of GPs in the country will be increased over the coming years by around 1,000.
"There are about 3,500 GPs in the country now," he said. "We're going up to about 4,500 over the next three years.
"This measure isn't about taking on more, it's about their (GPs) existing six-and seven-year-olds or those who can’t afford to come to see them.
"If they don’t sign up, they don't sign up. What we saw with the 0- to five-year-old children was a very constructive engagement with the IMO and a significant amount of money on the table.
"Well in excess of nine in every ten GPs did sign up to it."
People with GP only cards must still pay for their medicines.
Clare-based GP Dr Yvonne Williams said the extension will put an extra strain on the ability of GPs to give appointments to people when they need them.
Speaking on RTE's Today with Claire Byrne, she said there is currently a "huge crisis" in general practice.
Dr Williams said there are not enough practice nurses, not enough GPs, an aging population and people are living much longer with very complicated health problems, and they need a lot of time with their GP on a frequent basis.
"My fear and that of my colleagues even talking to them this morning is that older, more vulnerable - the frail elderly - are the people who maybe won't be able to access their GP as quickly as they need to.
"And they will end up having to go to A&E [Emergency Department] or the out of hours service."
