Bulgaria Parliament Approves Health Insurance Fund Budget

The National Health Insurance Fund's office in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

The Bulgarian Parliament has adopted the final 2010 budget for the National Health Insurance Fund with expenses of BGN 2,5 B being available.

The treasury is providing BGN 1,7 B and health insurance contributions will remain at 8%. For self-employed people the minimum yearly health insurance contribution will be BGN 420.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party and the ethnic Turkish DPS party both opposed the draft budget, arguing that the extra reserves of BGN 800 M should be used for the sector.

Bulgarian Doctors and patients had originally planned to protest over a lack of money for the health sector and more specifically hospital care. However, after a meeting on November 16 with PM Boyko Borisov and other Ministers the Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) changed their minds after being assured that the Budget 2010 will guarantee all health sector funding and that if necessary the fiscal reserve will be unblocked to support the National Health Insurance Fund.

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