The government eliminates 8 categories exempted from the payment of health insurance. So far, only 1 out of 3 insured from Romania was paying CASS
Hospital interior. Illustrative photography / shutterstock
The government wants to increase the number of contributors to health insurance, given that, at present, only one of 3 insured pays CASS. Eight categories exempted so far from the payment of health insurance will have to contribute, if they want to benefit from the medical services settled by CNAS, provides for the draft law that includes the austerity measures decided by the Bolojan Government, published by the Ministry of Finance on Thursday.
The government proposes, starting with September 1, 2025, the elimination of the exception from the payment of the following categories:
- persons in the maintenance of an insured person, respectively husband/wife/parents without their own income;
- persons persecuted during the communist period;
- the beneficiaries of the unemployment allowance;
- people on child -raising leave;
- persons with the minimum inclusion income;
- monastic staff;
- patients treated in health programs, other than those with oncological conditions;
- The pensioners whose pension exceeds the threshold of 3,000 lei will pay a contribution of 10% only for what exceeds 3,000 lei.
So far, Romania had over 10 million unpaid insured, representing social categories exempt from the payment of the contribution.
The social categories exempted so far from the payment of the contribution to the health insurance, but which were insured:
- Children, children in placement, students, students (
- Co-insurance (husband, wife, parents without income in the maintenance of an insured person)-654,244 persons.
- Politically, deported, veterans, revolutionaries – 149,221 people.
- Persons with disabilities – 171,460 people.
- Persons included in curative national programs, without income – 60,682 people.
- Pregnant women and non -revenue praises – 24,623 people.
- Persons on leave for the child's growth – 133,362.
- Unemployed beneficiaries of allowance – 38,612 persons.
- Persons with a deprivation of liberty – 19,567.
- Persons beneficiaries of social assistance – minimum guaranteed income – 239,309.
- Monahal staff – 2,515.
- Pensioners (including 430,786 invalidity pensions and 15,161 institutionalized persons) – 4.287.274
- Foreign citizens and other categories of insured persons Except for CASS payment – 25,739.
Study: The money collected from CASS covers less than half of the health system expenses
The health system has 17 million insured and only a little over 6.6 million contributors, shows the study “Transparency of money from the Romanian medical system”, recently carried out by the Academy of Economic Studies (ASE), with the support of the Regina Maria health network.
Over 30% of the total expenses in the Romanian health system are supported, every year, by patients, in the form of direct payments, when they need medical services, it is one of the study conclusions.
Even if it represents source number 1 financing of the health system, the money collected from the contribution to social health insurance (CASS) covers less than half of the total expenses of the health system, in a year-42.66%-the study shows.
The contribution to health insurance is paid, however, only by 35% of Romanians. “There is an imbalance between the number of contributors and the beneficiaries except from the payment of the contribution”, the authors of the study “Transparency of the Romanian Medical System” found.
The second most important source of financing of the health system is the direct payments in the patient's pocket (OUF-Pocket-OOP), estimated at 30.05% of the total expenses.
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