The National Health Fund is closing the year, but hospitals are protesting. Old debts paid off with this year's money?

The settlement of surpluses in unlimited benefits, drug programs and chemotherapy for 2025 is practically completed – the Headquarters of the National Health Fund informed PAP on Monday. The payments were made possible thanks to additional funds from the Ministry of Health, noted the Fund.

The National Health Fund settles with medical facilities – mainly hospitals – overperformance, i.e. services provided beyond the contracted plan.

– We have sent medical facilities the documents necessary to settle unlimited overpayments for 2025. This also applies to drugs in drug programs and chemotherapy. To finalize this process, we are still waiting for the return of a small part of the documents, because they must be signed by two parties – noted Paweł Florek, director of the Communication Office at the National Health Fund Headquarters. According to the National Health Fund, the settlement process for 2025 in the field of unlimited benefits is “virtually completed”.

The Fund announced that funds have been provided to the provincial branches of the National Health Fund to cover overpayments in part of the limited services for mechanical ventilation, dialysis and enteral and parenteral nutrition. In the case of mechanical ventilation, the level of financing for overperformance is 80 percent, while in the other two scopes it is 100 percent. “As a rule, payments for overpayments in limited benefits are regulated depending on the financial capabilities of the provincial branches of the National Health Fund and using lower rates,” the National Health Fund explained.

Paweł Florek emphasized that financing the overperformance was possible thanks to additional funds from the Ministry of Health.

He explained that the law states that the Fund may pay with funds from the financial plan for a given year no later than February 20 of the following year. Therefore, after this date, the National Health Fund pays for services that are to be financed for 2025 from this year's budget.

On Monday, the National Association of District Hospital Employers started a protest spread over the following days of this week, which is intended to draw attention to the financial problems of the facilities. Hospitals that take part in it will be flagged and their staff will wear black T-shirts. A minute of silence is also planned on Wednesday.

The National Health Fund's budget for 2026 amounts to a total of PLN 221 billion, and according to the latest estimates of the Ministry of Health, this year's financial gap will amount to approximately PLN 18 billion. (PAP)

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