Prague, Aug 16 (CTK) – Czech pensioners and children will have lower limits for additional payment for drugs under the amendment to the public health insurance law passed by the Senate on Wednesday.
As of January, the annual limit for children under 18 and elderly over 65 will be reduced from 2500 to 1000 crowns and for pensioners over 70 to 500 crowns.
If the limit is crossed, health insurance companies return the money to the patients who paid more for the drugs.
The legislation, yet to be signed by President Milos Zeman, is to reduce the financial participation of socially marginalised groups, Health Minister Miloslav Ludvik (Social Democrats, CSSD) said.
It will cost the state budget some 440 million crowns a year.
The Health Ministry reckons with this in the preparation of the relevant regulations, Ludvik said.
Senators Jan Hornik (Mayors and Independents, STAN) and Daniela Filipiova (Civic Democratic Party, ODS) warned of the financial impact of the amendment.
“It is incredible how much we are burdening the state budget,” Filipiova said.
Ludvik argued that given the current income of the population he could not see any space for a rise in patients’ participation.
The Senate also approved the legislation under which Czechs will be able to have up to a three-month paid leave to care for their seriously ill relatives.
Between 2019 and 2020, the state will be paying some 3.5 billion crowns more to the health insurance system under the amendment to the public insurance law also passed by the Senate.
This year, the state pays 920 crowns a month for its policyholders (children, pensioners, students and the unemployed) to health insurance companies.
Next year, the sum will increase by 49 crowns by a government decree.
This amendment will ensure another rise in the years in question. In 2019, the contribution will amount to 1018 crowns and one year later, to 1067 crowns a month.
In all, health insurance companies are to receive 69.3 billion crowns from the state for its policyholders next year. The sum is to rise to 72.8 billion crowns and 76.4 billion crowns in 2019 and 2020.
It is presumed that the state will pay the health insurance for 5.96 million inhabitants, roughly the same number as now.
The total revenues of the public health insurance system are to reach 276.6 billion crowns this year. The expenditures are to be 23.5 million lower.
