Skip to main content
17-10-2024

After submission, the Seimas approves the draft budget of the CHIF for the next year

Iliustracija

Draft Law on the Approval of the 2025 Budget Indicators of the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (CHIF) was presented to the Seimas. Next year's budget is expected to be balanced, with revenue and costs increasing by almost EUR 479 million (almost 14%) and making almost EUR 3.94 billion each.

According to the Minister of Health Aurimas Pečkauskas, 70% of the total funds are planned to be allocated for the payment of personal health care services, while about 18% of the funds are to be allocated for medicines, medical aids, including orthopedic devices, and the lease of medical equipment.

“When we speak about healthcare services, for which additional EUR 353 million has been earmarked, or, in other words, a 15% increase, we hope that by expanding the team of family doctors, by allowing family doctors to carry out a broader range of tests, and by reviewing the prices of some of the most basic services in the outpatient sector, we hope to see an increase in the accessibility of healthcare services, or, in other words, better management of queues. Money also goes for the development of specialist teams providing primary outpatient mental health services, we are talking about expanding services for the diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases, and we are also talking about increasing basic prices for some specific inpatient services, when it comes to emergency medicine, when it comes to intensive care, which is at the heart of inpatient treatment in our health care institutions”, the Minister of Health says.

A. Pečkauskas states that funds for the compensation of medicines increase by EUR 77 million (12 pct.), more focus is given to innovative medicines: “I would like to emphasise and welcome the fact that this year we have included 32 new medicines in the reimbursement system, including innovative medicines for oncology patients, patients with cardiovascular diseases and, of course, others. Their financing must be ensured the next year as well. In the coming year, we also look forward to adding new essential and very welcome medicines.”

The draft budget for CHIF for 2025 foresees almost EUR 251 million (EUR 47 million or 23% more than this year) to cover health programmes and other health insurance costs.

“I would like to highlight the growing need for finances in cardiovascular and some cancer prevention programmes, because we also see an increase in the action of health professionals to involve patients in this area, as well as increasing activity of the public itself. I would also like to highlight the fact that, from 1 January, we are extending the age range of the breast cancer prevention programme, which was from 50 to 69 years, and we are now moving to a new range from 45 to 74 years for women to be included in the scope of the breast cancer prevention programme”, the Minister said.

To enable health care institutions to increase the salaries of their employees, it is planned to index basic prices of healthcare services. It also foresees further development of cost-effective health services by reducing hospitalisation and promoting outpatient services; the introduction of new services reimbursed by the CHIF budget.

It is intended to expand specialist teams in primary outpatient mental health services by including case managers, to improve primary dental care by allowing health facilities to employ more oral hygienists, and to reduce the size of the population served.

The plans for 2025-2026 also include recalculation of basic prices for inpatient medical rehabilitation and palliative care services, seeking to consider the rising costs of specialists’ salaries and the costs of keeping patients in hospital.

“The final emphasis is on the exercise of the functions delegated by the State, under which lies emergency care, where we are talking about Emergency Medical Service, which has been centralised since last year, with an increase of EUR 11 million in funding for the exercise of their functions - we are talking about setting up new teams, the placement of new stations, of which 12 have been set up in the past year, in our country. Naturally, some of that money will also go to pay for increased salary”, A. Pečkauskas says.

Draft Law No XIVP-4231 on the Approval of the Budget Indicators of the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund for 2025 was approved by 60 Members of the Seimas after its submission, with two votes against and 32 abstentions, and the Committee on Health Affairs was designated as the main committee to consider the issue. The matter will be further discussed at the Seimas sitting on 21 November.

Information from the Seimas Information and Communications Department

The NHIF invites you:

 

Last updated: 12-11-2024

Related news:

21 tonnes of medicine waste in six months: are we looking after the environment or wasting money?

The health insurance funds: travel with your European Health Insurance Card and stay safe

Compulsory Health Insurance Fund Reserve: EUR 145 million for essential healthcare needs

More effective pneumococcal vaccine to protect against pneumonia

CHIF will reimburse three modern oncogenetic tests