site.btaWhat Is in the National Health Insurance Budget Bill

The 2024 draft budget of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has a total of BGN 8,163,353,100 from revenues and transfers. It is bigger than last year’s by BGN 1,136,139,500.

BGN 7,630,931.4 is set aside for health insurance payments, BGN 558,038.5 for primary outpatient medical care, BGN 567,208.1 for specialized outpatient medical care, BGN 328,882.3 for dental care, BGN 261,845.4 for medical-diagnostic activity and BGN 3,572,644.4 for hospital care.

The proposed budget also provides BGN 60 million for remuneration to medical staff in remote and hard-to-reach area, as well as up to BGN 4 million for pharmacies in remote areas or where it is the only pharmacy.

Health Minister Hristo Hinkov said during a debate on the draft budget at a meeting of the Tripartite Council of the government, the unions and employers on Tuesday that the trend towards increased spending on outpatient care and preventive activities continues.

According to the minister, the parameters of the budget show that the number of uninsured people, for whom the state is taking on more and more commitments, is increasing. "This is a problem that should focus our attention on increasing the possibility of health insurance to cover more and more of the population of Bulgaria," Hinkoff said. 

The Ministry believes that the parameters in the draft budget create a stable financial framework for the overall functioning of the system.