Law 220/2011, amending Law 95/2006 on healthcare reform, which introduces copayment for some medical services, through a “regulating ticket for health,” was published in the Official Journal on November 30.
Copayment is an amount paid by the patient on top of the value covered from the national health insurance fund. This amount will be a percentage of the value of medical services stipulated in the frame-contract on healthcare, and may not exceed 1/12 of the insured person’s net yearly income.
“Once the maximum value of copayment per insured patient per year is reached, medical services which charge copayment are provided without it,” says the law.
Copayment will not be charged from people younger than 18, pupils and students aged 18-26 without income from employment, pensioners earning up to 740 lei (EUR170) per month, and patients suffering from illnesses included in the national healthcare programs – for medical services associated with the respective illness, if they earn no income from employment, pensions or other sources.
When the bill was adopted in the Government, the Health Ministry announced 8,006,507 people would be exempted from the copayment system. The ministry also estimated the healthcare system would get an extra RON378 million from copayment every year.
According to the bill, the document verifying copayment for medical services is the “regulating ticket for health.” Its form and use will be approved through a joint order of the minister of Health and president of the National Health Insurance House.
Copayment may be covered from voluntary health insurance, under the new provisions.
Additional acts, to amend the frame-contract on healthcare and its application, will be adopted within 60 days of the law entering force. These norms will establish the service categories and copayment fees.
As per the loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund, European Commission and World Bank, the Government has pledged to introduce co-payment for medical services, with exemptions not to exceed 40% of patients.
(EUR1=RON4.3535)