The Government will today announce changes to medical card eligibility.

The new measures will set out the circumstances under which discretionary cards will be granted - after the coalition's U-turn on removing them earlier this year.

Health Minister Leo Varadkar will publish the report by Professor Frank Keane's expert panel - with some speculation suggesting that people suffering from terminal illness will no longer be required to renew their cards every year.

Its expected that income will still be the main decider - but there would be improved use of discretion in dealing with certain medical conditions and personal circumstances.