Government Seeks to Raise Copayments
The Cabinet has endorsed a bill that would raise patient copayment fees and bring hospitals a projected additional revenue of 4.5 million euros annually.
The Health Insurance Act implemented in 2002 provided the option of adjusting the fees for inflation each year. But the government has not acted on this and fees have remained at the same level for 10 years. Hospitals are now demanding that fees reflect the decade's 44 percent inflation.
The bill provides that outpatient fees rise from 3.20 to 5 euros and inpatient fees from 1.60 to 2.50 euros.
The reform was proposed by the Hospitals Association, which needs to find funding to raise medical workers' salaries, a condition agreed to during the health care unions' 25-day strike in October.
But unions have grumbled over the reform because one of the terms of ending the strike was that patient fees would not rise.
The minister of social affairs has supported the move, but he only has the power to adjust fees to account for one year's inflation rise. Parliamentary approval is therefore needed to implement the changes.
If the bill passes, the new rates will be implemented in January.
Hospitals cannot charge inpatients for copayments for more than 10 days in a single medical case. Nor can fees be demanded for intensive care, pregnancy-related visits or treatment of minors.