Maneuver 2027, 3.4 billion euros more for healthcare but for regions it is not enough

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced: "This budget law, like all previous ones, also allocates important resources to increase the allocation of the National Health Fund: we are increasing it by 3.4 billion, bringing it to 146.3 billion euros in 2027". In reference to the Fund, the Prime Minister explained first of all that "a portion of this increase is linked to strengthening the salaries of emergency room doctors, who are the front line and the place where citizens measure the public health response every day". Among the measures announced, there are also vouchers designed for an audience of over 75s to be used for expenses not covered by the NHS. "With this budget law, we are introducing a social voucher of 300 euros for Italians over 75 with a pension of up to 28,000 euros a year. We are talking about 5 and a half million people. Overall cost of the measure: 1.6 billion euros. The voucher can be used for healthcare expenses that are not covered by the National Health Service, for pharmaceutical expenses, for specialist visits. So they are a concrete help, but they are also a way of telling millions of elderly people who are not alone", explained the Prime Minister who then specified: "These are also resources for healthcare. Therefore, between the 3.4 billion euros that we put into the National Health Fund and 1.6 billion, which are the cost of this measure, we are talking about 5 billion euros spent on the health of citizens".

"What a disappointment the financial law passed by the government is. On healthcare, what is granted as an increase to the national health fund is only the 3.4 billion expected compared to the 6.8 requested. And this limited figure is proposed as a restricted expenditure, and will substantially cover the contractual increases that have recently been agreed and an absolute and partial quota of medical devices", commented the president of the Tuscany Region Eugenio Giani. "Rather, the further downsizing of public health is worrying given that the 1.6 billion expected for elderly people over 75 with vouchers of up to 300 euros will essentially open up the privatization of the national health service. This is because in the vast majority of cases the elderly will use the voucher in private clinics and diagnostics". The president of the Emilia-Romagna Region Michele De Pascale also criticized this measure, calling it "the flaw through which the wall collapses". De Pascale underlined: "Either now the Conference of the Regions strikes a blow or the Conference of the Regions is no longer of any use".

"I want to find a solution, not argue with the government. They have put in the money in recent years, the National Health Fund has grown, but the resources are lower than the increase in costs, which is induced, not decided by us", the president of the Puglia Region Antonio Decaro stated in an interview with La Repubblica before the approval of the maneuver in the Council of Ministers.

"The increase in the national health fund that we have asked for by at least six billion per year must be given to us and guaranteed by the government. Because it is not asked for a mere whim, but it is asked to make not only the services work, but above all to balance the costs which are absolutely increasing. If we do not intervene, the system will not be able to hold up in the future because the costs of healthcare are increasing, both for staff and for the rising prices of energy: these are costs that have a very rapid upward curve and therefore we must deal with a general change of pace on healthcare", the president of the Campania Region, Roberto Fico, also declared.