site.btaHealth Insurance Fund Unblocks Lv 28 Million from Operational Reserve

109 POLITICS - HEALTH INSURANCE FUND - ASSEMBLY - DECISION

Health Insurance Fund Unblocks
Lv 28 Million from
Operational Reserve


Sofia, October 15 (BTA) - The National Health Insurance Fund
(NHIF) has unblocked 28 million leva from its operational
reserve, NHIF said after Wednesday's meeting of the Assembly of
Representatives.

The funds are intended for medicines for home treatment, which
will be paid to the pharmacies for the second half of August and
for September.

If the NHIF budget is updated with 100 million leva then there
will also be 25 million leva for medicines for hospital
treatment. Payments to hospitals and pharmacies will be delayed
if the budget is not updated by November 15, the press release
said, quoting the Chairman of the Assembly of Representatives,
Kiril Ananiev.

A transfer to the amount of 9 million leva is expected from the
Ministry of Health. These will also be paid to the pharmacies
for medicines for home treatment.

There are no problems with the regulatory standards planned for
the last quarter of the year, NHIF said, commenting on media
reports that referrals to specialists have been reduced. The
difference between the number of referrals for the last quarter
of 2014 and the last quarter of 2013 is 2 per cent - now they
are 1,583,098 and then they were 1,616,359. This is a
consequence of the higher prices of examinations by specialists
agreed in the National Framework Agreement between the Bulgarian
Medical Association and NHIF, as well as to the increased
number of specialized outpatient treatment patients, for whom
there are obligatory consultations.

General practitioners and specialists can use up to 10 per cent
additional referrals per quarter, which do not have to be
compensated. There is also an option for another 15 per cent,
which have to be compensated./LI/BR