An extra 215,000 are able to access free GP care from today.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced the opening of applications for the GP visit cards for newly eligible people.
It's the first of two phases to provide free care by GPs to an estimated 430 thousand people with the second phase in November,
It'll be the biggest increase in eligibility for free GP care in the history of the state covering up to half a million people.
Stephen Donnelly says this is part of a Government expansion into health care.
"It's a really important measure. It's part of an expansion we're in the middle of, half a million GP cards. So we've already gone live with GP cards for every 6 and 7 year olds in the country. That was in August. We are including every household up to the median income that's about 430,000 people."
