site.bta2016 Health Insurance Fund Budget Adopted Conclusively

2016 Health Insurance Fund Budget Adopted Conclusively

Sofia, December 1 (BTA) - Parliament on Tuesday adopted conclusively the
2016 budget of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). The MPs decided that the national framework agreements will take effect on April 1 and will be proportionate to NHIF's budget for the respective year.

In 2016, NHIF's budget will be balanced. Revenues and transfers are budgeted at 3,204,749,000 leva, equal to expenditures and transfers. Health insurance contributions remain at 8 per cent. NHIF's reserve totals 300 million leva.

NHIF's expenditures will total 3,201,065,000 leva. Of these, 2,877,445,000 will go towards current expenditures, 32,509,000 personnel expenditures and administrative costs will be 11,688,000 leva.

In line with the Health Insurance Act, NHIF will set the monthly budgets of its regional divisions and will distribute the agreed annual volumes of medical services.

Health establishments which are granted permits to operate or expand their range of medical services after December 31 2015 won't be eligible for NHIF funding in 2016.

Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Mihail Mikov said that the act eliminated the need for NHIF's existence and encouraged corruption. Mocking texts voted by the majority, Mikov said that the BSP will sponsor a bill that will allow the Health Ministry to distribute the funds according to the number of GERB votes in each region.

Hasan Ademov MP of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms said that NHIF's budget was "an awkward attempt at finding a balance between volumes and prices".

Health Minister Peter Moskov said that the act reflected the consensus with the branch and patients organizations.

On behalf of the MRF, Ademov called for 100 million leva more in revenues from insurance contributions as in 2016 GDP is projected to grow by 2.1 and the employed will increase by 10,000 people. The MRF also urged for the demonopolization of NHIF.

MRF's Tuncher Kardzhaliev said that budget expenditures did not reflect pledges for health reforms, transfer of activities from hospital to out-of-hospital care and prioritizing preventative health activities.