THE Government found a way to trace all the poor people, whose health insurance contributions should be covered by the state, as one of the measures in solving the health insurance problems of two million Bulgarians.
From 2005, every Bulgarian who meets the requirements for granting energy assistance (for paying heating bills in winter), will be eligible also for free health insurance, if not insured on another basis, Labour and Social Policy Minister Hristina Hristova said on October 7.
The idea will become part of the changes to Health Insurance Act, which the Cabinet was expected to discuss at its regular meeting on October 14. The amendment will be effective for around 200 000 poor Bulgarians, who are forced to pay the contributions themselves at the moment.
From January 1, 2005, 25 million leva from the state budget will be allocated for them. The old debts to the health insurance funds however will not be erased and a way will be sought to collect them, Hristova said.
The ministers are also expected to make a decision on another policy idea for all people who have missed paying three or more health insurance contributions from 2000. The accounted period for the violators will be reduced to the past 15 months.
Bulgarian emigrants and those who have worked abroad will receive medical care upon filing a declaration and proving that they have paid their social contributions abroad and have been absent from the country for more than 180 days.
Meanwhile, President Georgi Purvanov launched another attack on the executive on the health insurance matter. Meeting reporters on Sunday, he said that depriving innocent people was not compliance with the law but a breach of law, and added that he was happy that his position was supported by institutions, experts, media and citizens.
But Purvanov's mere criticism is not the thing that shatters the sleep of doctors and patients, as well as Government officials. It is not clear yet whether the debtors will be allowed to use the privileges of the regular payers if they pay all instalments due to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) for the past 15 months, or whether they will need to pay all the money due. If there is a chance for them to only pay the money for a year and a half, there is no guarantee that those owing money for longer periods will ever pay them to the fund.
Furthermore, no answer has been provided yet to the question of whether there will be changes in the requirement that all payments to the fund should be paid before the end of 2004. There is another problem with the Bulgarians who live abroad as they represent a significant part of the improper payers.
Healthcare Minister Slavcho Bogoev proposed that Bulgarians who live abroad for more than six months in one calendar year should not pay health insurance instalments until they return to the country. However, the experts from the ministry have not yet decided how many instalments former emmigrants will owe to NHIF in order to regain their healthcare rights.
- Business Staff
From 2005, every Bulgarian who meets the requirements for granting energy assistance (for paying heating bills in winter), will be eligible also for free health insurance, if not insured on another basis, Labour and Social Policy Minister Hristina Hristova said on October 7.
The idea will become part of the changes to Health Insurance Act, which the Cabinet was expected to discuss at its regular meeting on October 14. The amendment will be effective for around 200 000 poor Bulgarians, who are forced to pay the contributions themselves at the moment.
From January 1, 2005, 25 million leva from the state budget will be allocated for them. The old debts to the health insurance funds however will not be erased and a way will be sought to collect them, Hristova said.
The ministers are also expected to make a decision on another policy idea for all people who have missed paying three or more health insurance contributions from 2000. The accounted period for the violators will be reduced to the past 15 months.
Bulgarian emigrants and those who have worked abroad will receive medical care upon filing a declaration and proving that they have paid their social contributions abroad and have been absent from the country for more than 180 days.
Meanwhile, President Georgi Purvanov launched another attack on the executive on the health insurance matter. Meeting reporters on Sunday, he said that depriving innocent people was not compliance with the law but a breach of law, and added that he was happy that his position was supported by institutions, experts, media and citizens.
But Purvanov's mere criticism is not the thing that shatters the sleep of doctors and patients, as well as Government officials. It is not clear yet whether the debtors will be allowed to use the privileges of the regular payers if they pay all instalments due to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) for the past 15 months, or whether they will need to pay all the money due. If there is a chance for them to only pay the money for a year and a half, there is no guarantee that those owing money for longer periods will ever pay them to the fund.
Furthermore, no answer has been provided yet to the question of whether there will be changes in the requirement that all payments to the fund should be paid before the end of 2004. There is another problem with the Bulgarians who live abroad as they represent a significant part of the improper payers.
Healthcare Minister Slavcho Bogoev proposed that Bulgarians who live abroad for more than six months in one calendar year should not pay health insurance instalments until they return to the country. However, the experts from the ministry have not yet decided how many instalments former emmigrants will owe to NHIF in order to regain their healthcare rights.
- Business Staff
