site.bta2024 Health Insurance Budget Bill Approved on First Reading

The National Assembly approved the 2024 National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) Budget Bill on first reading on Friday. It was supported by 142 votes by members of GERB-UDF, Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. Sixty MPs of the other three parliamentary groups - Vazrazhdane, BSP for Bulgaria, and There Is Such a People - voted against. There were no abstentions.

Next year, the NHIF is forecast to receive BGN 8,163,353,100 in revenues and transfers on the assumption of a health insurance contribution of 8%, a growing minimum wage, a rising contributory income cap, and a higher minimum contributory income for self-insured persons.

Health insurance will be shared between the employer and the employee at a ratio of 60:40.

The NHIF's expenditures and transfers are forecast at BGN 8,163,353,100 (the same as the revenues), including BGN 7,630,931,400 in health insurance payments. Part of the money will go towards medical aid within the limits of compulsory health insurance, guaranteed by the NHIF budget.

Next year will see increased health insurance spending on primary out-patient care, specialist out-patient care, medical diagnosis, in-patient care and dental care as well as medicines, medical products and dietary food for special medical purposes.

An allocation of BGN 15 million has been set aside for pre-natal and post-natal screening. Dental care money has been increased by BGN 55 million compared with this year. Resources for home treatment medicines have been decreased by BGN 5 million, based on underperformance in the 2023 budget, said the Council of Ministers, the sponsor of the bill.

The NHIF reserve, including money for unforeseen and emergency costs, as per the Health Insurance Act, will be 3% of the revenues to be collected from health insurance contributions and transfers from other budgets, or BGN 238,764,300.