A new change to the categories exempted from the payment of health insurance: The Government has changed a month after making the decision

Uninsured patients suffering from chronic diseases included in national health programs will continue to access all medical services settled by CNAS, including outside the respective health program, without paying the health contribution.

The measure targets around 60,000 patients.

The decision was taken in the Government meeting on Friday and is valid until December 31, the Minister of Health, Alexandru Rogobete, explained for Hotnews. After this date, patients not enshrined in chronic diseases included in the health programs will only benefit from the health services included in the respective health program, in the absence of payment of the contribution.

At the beginning of July, the Government had decided that these patients would have access without the payment of the contribution only to the medical services offered in the respective health program. In order to benefit from the rest of the health services settled by CNAS, outside the health program, they should have paid health insurance – a fixed amount of 2,430 lei per year, established for people who do not make income.

Only uninsured cancer patients had been exempted, in July, from this rule, and they were insured in the health system, not only in the oncology program, without the payment of the contribution.

What has been decided today, according to the Ministry of Health:

• A transition period is granted for the patients included in national health programs, other than those with oncological conditions, who do not make income;
• Within the category for which this measure has been adopted today, the patients in the programs with a major impact on public health (TB, HIV/AIDS) have been included, and these conditions present a major risk;
• They will benefit, until December 31, 2025, in addition to the medicines and services provided within the health programs whose beneficiaries are, and the entire basic services package supported from the FNUASS budget, under the same conditions as the insured persons.
• During this transitional period, the uninsured patients included in the national health programs have the possibility to take the necessary steps for insurance.

Patients treated in health programs

13 categories of patients with chronic diseases in Romania benefit from treatment within the national health programs, managed by CNAS:

• The national program of cardiovascular disease;
• The national program of endocrine diseases;
• The national diabetes program;
• The National Oncology Program;
• National Orthopedics Program;
• National Mental Health Program;
• The national program for supplementing the renal function;
• The national program of intensive care of liver failure;
• The national program for transplant organs, tissues and cells of human origin;
• The national program for the treatment of neurological diseases;
• The national program of treatment of hemophilia and talasemia;
• The national program of treatment of deafness;
• The national treatment program for rare diseases.

Two other important categories of chronic patients benefit from treatment within two health programs managed by the Ministry of Health:

• The National Program for Prevention, Supervision and Control of HIV/AIDS infection;
• The National Program for Tuberculosis Prevention, Supervision and Control.