The Council of Ministers on Monday passed a draft law extending the circle of people entitled to free medicines to include children under 18 and seniors over 65, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced at a conference in Wołomin.
In the explanatory memorandum to the draft amendment to the Healthcare Financed from General Funds Act and the Act on the Reimbursement of Medicines, Foodstuffs for Special Nutrition and Medical Devices, it is written that the above groups of people are among those in need of medicines, foodstuffs for special foodstuffs and medical devices is the highest.
It is a given that the demand for medicines among the over-65s, as a result of the natural aging process, is certainly higher than among other groups of benefit recipients. Moreover, since these people are generally of an age where they are already retired, medical costs weigh significantly on their household budget.
The same applies to minors who are dependent on their de facto guardians or legal representatives, which also entails a high financial burden for these persons.
Despite the fact that the majority of carers of minors, unlike for example the elderly, remain professionally active, the obligation imposed on them to bear the costs of their children’s medical treatment can be very financially burdensome, as medicines or some foods intended for special nutritional uses are a necessity, which cannot or at least should not be abandoned due to possible financial constraints.
A specific list of medicines, foodstuffs for particular nutritional uses and medical devices will be announced by the Minister of Health in a communication – separately for persons under 18 years of age and separately for patients over 65 years of age.
Intergenerational solidarity program
The draft law adopted by the Council of Ministers, which envisages expanding the circle of people entitled to free medicines to include children under 18 and seniors over 65, is an intergenerational solidarity program, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday.
At a joint press conference with the head of the Ministry of Health in Wołomin, the Prime Minister announced that the government had approved an amendment to the “Medicines for seniors 75 plus” program.
We are expanding this program to more than 4,000. medicines
Morawiecki emphasized.
As he said, about three million seniors have benefited so far, and now it will be about 14-15 million people.
Including 6-7 million children and youth and about 7-8 million seniors, retirees, pensioners – anyone over the age of 65
– he said.
We care about the youngest generation, our future, but also about those who have worked for us today, about our mothers, fathers, grandparents and grandmothers
he stressed.
The head of government also stated that “it is a completely different program of intergenerational solidarity”, as well as “further billions of zlotys”, which are “budgeted”. He also referred to the health policy of the PO-PSL government.
The fiscal policy, (…) that we inherited from our pre-infarction predecessors, has fundamentally changed and the approach to health care has also completely changed. Let me briefly recall Arłukowicz’s approach: close a few hospitals, come for 200 million, Mr. Arłukowicz said something like that, and Tusk’s program was just that: commercialization. Hospitals can go bankrupt just like any other entity, that’s what the PO reforms were aimed at
– he said.
The head of government also stated that “it is a completely different program of intergenerational solidarity”, as well as “further billions of zlotys”, which are “budgeted”.
When will parliament consider the bill?
I will strive for the draft law extending the circle of people entitled to free medicines to children under 18 and seniors over 65 to be adopted by the Sejm as soon as possible, said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Monday.
When asked at the conference when the Sejm would consider the bill, the Prime Minister pointed out that there were two more sessions of the Sejm in July.
I will work to get this bill passed (to the Sejm) as soon as possible, so that seniors can be assured that it will be passed by the Sejm as soon as possible
said the head of government.
I’m very good. I will try to make it happen as soon as possible
– added.
Health Minister Adam Niedzielski, who was present at the conference, was asked how much the list of these drugs has expanded.
We are very eager to double the number of currently available medications in the 75+ program
– he said. He added that it currently exceeds 2,000. items on the list of available drugs in the 75 plus program, and there will be “more than 4,000.”
A new opening
The 65 plus program is a new opening; showing that the availability of medicines for seniors is a priority for the government – said Health Minister Adam Niedzielski in Wołomin on Monday. He added that the free drug program for those under 18 and over 65 will cost $2.4 billion a year.
At a press conference in Wołomin, the Minister of Health assured that “there is no reform of the health care system without additional expenditure”.
The guarantee that we gave in the so-called 7 percent bill that this health care spending will systematically increase is a guarantee that we can undertake new projects, new programs, like the one we’re talking about today — medicines available for seniors over 65 and for children in the age group of 0-18 years
he said.
He explained that the project adopted on Monday is based on “expanding the age range and is the basis for creating a new reimbursement list, a special list (…), where medicines will be available for free.”
At the same time, we discussed the fact that we are not only increasing the age range, but also increasing the availability of the medications that are currently available in the 75+ program. At the moment (…) we have more than 2 thousand. available medicines, but the goal is to lead to a situation where the full list of reimbursed medicines, i.e. more than 4,000 function, becomes available in this program 65 plus and 0-18
said Niedzielski.
He informed that the 75 plus program has cost a total of PLN 4.5 billion from the beginning of its operation, i.e. from 2016.
This PLN 4.5 billion was found thanks to better management of public finances and thanks to the tightening of the tax system. In the last year of full operation, ie in 2022, this program cost almost PLN 800 million. What we are going to do now, by taking this step to expand the age group, but also to increase the list of available medicines, is an additional PLN 1.6 billion, which means that in total this program will reach the state in one year will cost almost PLN 2.4 billion. These are huge resources. Without additional resources from the tax system, the state would not be able to pay for this enterprise
he assessed.
According to Niedzielski, the 65+ program is a “new opening”.
This is to show that accessibility for people who need care the most, are the most vulnerable – I’m talking mostly about seniors here – to multiple diseases, is a priority from the government’s point of view and we just made this decision
he said.
In the explanatory memorandum to the draft amendment to the Healthcare Financed from General Funds Act and the Act on the Reimbursement of Medicines, Foodstuffs for Special Nutrition and Medical Devices, it is written that the above groups of people are among those in need of medicines, foodstuffs for special foodstuffs and medical devices is the highest.
A specific list of medicines, foodstuffs for particular nutritional uses and medical devices will be announced by the Minister of Health in a communication – separately for persons under 18 years of age and separately for patients over 65 years of age.
kk/PAP
Source: wPolityce