site.btaTrade Unions and Most Employer Organizations Support Health Insurance Budget Bill in Principle

The trade unions and most of the employer organizations supported in principle the 2025 National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) Budget Bill on Wednesday during an extraordinary meeting of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation

The bill proposes an increase of the annual NHIF budget by BGN 1.3 billion (16.5%) in 2025. The increase will be distributed evenly among the budget items, NHIF Governor Stanimir Mihailov said.

The budget is planned to amount to BGN 9.5 billion, including BGN 5.7 billion from health insurance contributions.

The draft scheme sets BGN 650 million for primary out-patient care, BGN 661 million for specialist out-patient care, BGN 4.1 billion for in-patient care, BGN 418 million for dental care, BGN 305 million for medical diagnosis and BGN 2.3 billion for medicines, medical implements and special diet food. The NHIF reserve next year is forecast to amount to BGN 279 million.

Finance Minister Lyudmila Petkova said that the three budget bills (on the health insurance budget, the public social insurance budget and the state budget) are aligned with present policies and effective legislation. She noted that the bills have been discussed with political parties. "The National Assembly may change some things. The caretaker government cannot envision policies or changes which did not receive support during the budget discussions," Petkova said.

Health Minister Galya Kondeva said the NHIF Budget Bill proposes a balanced budget and an unchanged health insurance contribution rate.

The NHIF budget rests on a deficient state budget philosophy, according to Kancho Stoichev, Deputy Chair of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association. He commented: "All of a sudden, we begin spending money available only in theory. Germany, Bulgaria's leading partner, is experiencing a major crisis, France is headed for an even bigger crisis, the world is in a crisis, but I do not see any cushions in this budget bill." Stoichev insisted that ways should be sought to boost revenues.

Another organization of employers, the Bulgarian Industrial Association, supported the NHIF Budget Bill in principle, so long as it was devised in accordance with effective regulations. The Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (KRIB) took a similar stance.

Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Management Board Chair Tsvetan Simeonov said they support the NHIF budget scheme, although they see errors in it.

The Union of Private Economic Enterprise does not support the NHIF budget, according to its Deputy Chair Maria Mincheva.

The trade unions backed the bill. "It proposes a reasonably balanced budget," said Strashimir Genev of the Federation of Healthcare Unions. He asked for more money for in-patient care.

Valeri Apostolov, Secretary of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, said the NHIF Budget Bill was written by a government which is just keen on having budgets. "None of the three budgets has measures to propel economic growth. The caretaker government has no mandate to implement policies," Apostolov argued.