Parliament approves health insurance budget in first reading

Parliament has approved the 2013 mandatory health insurance budget in the first reading, providing for incomes of 4.07 billion lei and expenses of 4.17 billion lei, Info-Prim Neo reports. Deputy Minister of Health Octavian Grama said the the mandatory health insurance contribution will stay at 7% of the salary, equally split between the employee and the employer. The health insurance for unemployed people will cost 3,318 lei, 336 more than last year. Within the first three months from the law's entry into effect, the insurance will be available at half the price, or 1,659 lei. Owners of farmland will have a discount of 75% until the end of the harvesting season, i.e. 31 October 2013. The expenses for subsidized medicines will be increased by 3% because of the addition to the list of fully or partly subsidized medicines of essential and generic medicines. The Minister of Health intends to sign contracts with a larger number of public, palliative and home healthcare providers to improve the access of elderly, lonely and disabled to this kind of social-medical services. 1% of the mandatory health insurance budget's income will go to prophylactic measures. This money will be used to raise awareness of the people, promote a healthy lifestyle, prevent and reduce epidemiological situations and for other similar purposes.