Foreign citizens and stateless persons staying temporarily on the territory of the Republic of Moldova will be obliged to obtain medical insurances for the entire period of their stay, in conformity with the procedures approved by the Government. A bill in this respect passed in first reading on Friday, November 17. Another amendment provides that this category of persons will have the same rights and obligations as Moldovan citizens concerning compulsory medical assistance insurance, in conformity with the legislation, unless international treaties provide otherwise. Mircea Buga, prime deputy director of the National Company of Insurance in Medicine, told the Parliament sitting that compulsory medical insurance of foreign citizens and stateless persons will be applied when they pass the state border of the R. of Moldova. At present, the insurance policy costs MDL 816. The bill on medical assistance compulsory insurance for 2007, recently approved by the Government, provides for the raising of medical assistance compulsory insurance premium, starting January 1, 2007, from 4%, in 2006 (2% from the employer and 2 % from the employee) to 5 % (2.5% from the employer and 2.5% from the employee). On the other hand, it is forecasted that the price of the medical insurance policy will climb from MDL 816 to MDL 1209, and the expenses of the state budget for insuring persons will go up 12 %.