The employers and the trade unions supported the revised budget of the NHIF proposed by the interim government. The social partners, however, strongly objected against the situation in health care, stressing that health costs have doubled in the last five years but the quality of service remains the same.

The revision provides for the Health Insurance Fund to use the currently available transitional balance within BGN 100 million. by the end of the year.

Health Minister Miroslav Nenkov explained that the money will be used in four areas: health insurance payments to hospitals and for medical care – BGN 50 million, for cancer therapy – BGN 15 million, for medical devices used in hospital care – BGN 10 million and for medicines for home treatment and diet food – BGN 25 million.

The minister stressed that the management of the National Health Insurance Fund did not want money simly to “meet the ends” of the budget by the end of the year, but thought in the direction of an attempt to compensate for this shortage.

The Director of NHIF Dr. R. Todorova stated that under the current regulatory framework cashier can not afford not to pay the work done, whether it was done qualitatively or not.

The CITUB proposed the  NHIF to be divided into two funds: “Healthcare Insurance” and “Medical Assistance” as a measure to overcome the crisis. According to the experts by improving the collection of installments, the fund will have more money and it will be clear where they are going. Such separation of the cash flows will force the state to pay properly and at 8% instead of at 4% the insurance of eight groups of citizens, including pensioners and students, officials and prisoners. The Unions add that such a separation may be done and the health insurance of the concerned groups allocated to a new Executive Agency “Medical Assistance”.