site.btaParliament Adopts on First Reading Amendments to Health Insurance Fund Budget

114 POLITICS - HEALTH INSURANCE FUND BUDGET - AMENDMENT

Parliament Adopts on
First Reading Amendments to
Health Insurance Fund Budget


Sofia, November 18 (BTA) - The National Assembly Tuesday adopted
on first reading with 169 votes in favour and 9 against a bill
amending and supplementing the 2014 National Health Insurance
Fund Act. Twenty-seven MPs of the Bulgarian Socialist Party -
Left Bulgaria abstained. The members of Ataka voted against the
bill.

The budget update proposed by the Government will provide
additional resources to the amount of 100,000,000 leva for
health insurance payments for medical care in 2014.

The budget's expenditure part will be changed to a negative
balance of 100,000,000 leva. A total of 25,000,000 leva will be
reallocated to health insurance payments for medicinal products
for home treatment and dietary foods for special medical
purposes, 10,000,000 leva for medical supplies used in
hospitals, 15,000,000 leva for cancer treatment, and 50,000,000
leva for hospital care.

These expenditures will be covered with the resources available
in the National Health Insurance Fund's budget account from the
start of 2014, which amount to 100,248,000 leva. In order to
compensate the over-expenditure and guarantee the system's
financial stability, additional measures will be taken related
to the control mechanisms of the National Health Insurance Fund
(NHIF), as well as measures for limiting the expenditures for
medicinal products.

The expected shortage of resources as at December 31, 2014 for
paying pharmacies for medicinal products they have provided for
home treatment and dietary foods for special medical purposes,
as well as for medical supplies, amounts to 88,456,000 leva. The
NHIF can cover part of this shortage with the resources
available in a reserve, including for unexpected and urgent
expenditures, to the amount of 56,710,000 leva, and through the
reduction of the expenditures for administrative maintenance by
some 5,500,000 leva. Thus, the shortage of resources for paying
pharmacies could be reduced to 26,246,000 leva.

The expected shortage of resources as at December 31, 2014 for
paying hospital care contractors (for medical supplies used in
hospitals, cancer treatment and hospital care) totals around
162,766,000 leva. The NHIF can cover part of this shortage with
the resources available for "other health insurance payments",
which amount to 620,000 leva, and through the overperformance of
health insurance revenues from health insurance payments under
the rules set by the NHIF Supervisory Board. According to
official calculations of the National Revenue Agency, the
expected revenue overperformance on an annual basis is
55,274,000 leva. Thus, the shortage of resources for paying
hospital care contractors could be reduced to 90,872,000 leva.

PK/DS