National Health Fund under the microscope. Additional funds for health in 2025

The shortfall in the budget of the National Health Fund, estimated at PLN 14 billion in 2025, is the maximum value, which means that it may ultimately turn out to be lower – the Ministry of Health told PAP on Thursday.

At the end of October, the National Health Fund headquarters announced the transfer of PLN 3.5 billion in subsidies and PLN 1 billion in bonds to the National Health Fund (Chancellery of the Prime Minister). The next money – PLN 3.56 billion – is to come from the Medical Fund. In total, it is approximately PLN 8 billion. PAP asked the Ministry of Health how it will replenish the remaining missing amount in the National Health Fund budget, i.e. approximately PLN 6 billion.

The Ministry of Health informed PAP that the original deficit in the National Health Fund budget, estimated at PLN 14 billion, was the maximum value, which means that ultimately it may turn out to be lower.

The Ministry of Health emphasized that the draft amendment to the Medical Fund Act will allow for the transfer of an additional PLN 3.56 billion to the National Health Fund in 2025. The draft amendment to the Medical Fund Act increases the limit set for 2025 for financing excess healthcare services provided to people under 18 years of age to PLN 4.4 billion from the current PLN 840 million.

The Ministry of Health calculated that the initially planned subjective subsidy from the state budget for the National Health Fund for 2025 amounted to PLN 18.35 billion, while thanks to the decisions of the Minister of Health Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda and the Minister of Finance Andrzej Domański, these funds currently amount to over PLN 31 billion.

The Ministry of Health notedthat thanks to the decision of the Minister of Health of November 6, they will be transferred to the National Health Fund additional funds in the amount of PLN 400 million to increase the specific subsidy. The Ministry of Health pointed out that by the decision of the Ministry of Health of July 1, nearly PLN 1.58 billion was allocated to the National Health Fund to increase the National Health Fund's reserve fund. Additionally, based on the request of the Minister of Health to the Prime Minister's office, the head of government, Donald Tusk, ordered the Minister of Finance to transfer treasury securities to increase the supplementary fund of the National Health Fund. with a total nominal value of PLN 922 million.

“The financial situation of the National Health Fund is monitored on an ongoing basis, and possible solutions are currently being analyzed to improve it. We emphasize that the priority in the actions taken is to take into account the need to guarantee the health safety of patients,” wrote the Ministry of Health's communications office.

The Ministry of Health pointed out that the need to significantly increase the state budget resources for the Fund results, among others, from: from the implementation of the Act on Remuneration and the transfer of financing to the National Health Fund, among others emergency medical services and free medicines.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Health submitted a draft amendment to the Medical Fund Act with a request to consider it without the stage of arrangements, opinions and public consultations at the next meeting of the Standing Committee of the Council of Ministers or to consider its consideration by circulation as soon as possible.

The project assumes that the National Health Fund will be able to in 2025, receive an additional approximately PLN 3.6 billion from the Medical Fund. The regulations would enter into force on December 15.

The Ministry of Health noted that due to the “significantly lower” limit, most of the costs of overprovision of services for people under 18 years of age are financed by the National Health Fund, and not from the Medical Fund. According to the Ministry of Health, in 2024 the National Health Fund will additionally finance it from health insurance contributions the so-called above-limit benefits for children for nearly PLN 2.4 billion. In turn, in 2023, the amount of unfinanced benefits amounted to PLN 1.5 billion, and in 2022 nearly PLN 1 billion, the Ministry of Health reported.

At the beginning of November, hospitals in various parts of Poland informed PAP that they were postponing planned admissions due to delayed settlements with the National Health Fund.

In the first half of October, PAP learned from a source in the National Health Fund that the Fund lacks approximately PLN 14 billion this year to settle benefits. According to estimates of the Ministry of Health, the financial gap in the National Health Fund will amount to PLN 23 billion in 2026.

Anita Karwowska, Katarzyna Nocuń (PAP)

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