site.btaParliamentary Budget and Finance Committee Approves Draft Revision of 2021 National Health Insurance Fund Budget on First Reading

August 24 (BTA) - The National Assembly Budget and
Finance Committee approved on first reading a
government-proposed draft revision of the 2021 budget of the
National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

As revised, the NHIF revenues and expenditures amount to 5.5
billion leva.

The NHIF spent 442 million leva on combating the pandemic in
January-July 2021, Health Minister Stoycho Katsarov said at the
Committee meeting. The Finance Ministry added that a total of 3
billion leva are planned in expenditures on tackling the
pandemic this year, including financial support for suspended
businesses, employment retention, and a 50 leva monthly
supplement to all pensions.

The Budget and Finance Committee opened a first reading debate
on a government-proposed draft revision of the 2021 public
social insurance budget, tabled in late July. According to the
draft, public social insurance revenues and transfers will total
 15,194,455,500 leva.

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Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) leader Kornelia Ninova has
invited There Is Such a People, Democratic Bulgaria and Rise Up
BG! Here We Come! to "serious and responsible talks on the
budget revision," the BSP said in a press release on Tuesday.

Ninova calls on the three parliamentary entities "to abandon
partisan jealousy and claims to leadership and come to terms on
an increase of incomes, including a recalculation of pensions,
on procuring the medicines that hospitals need and remunerating
the labour of front-line medics, on compensating the economy,
employed and self-employed persons, and on assisting the
Interior Ministry and Defence Ministry personnel to prevent an
influx of illegal migrants across the border." RY/LG

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