The stamped text of the Budget Law certifies that the level of financing of the standard national health needs to which the State contributes has increased by 2,365 million euros for the year 2027, 2,352 million euros for the year 2028 and by 2,399 million euros per year starting from the year 2029. In short, the health fund grows by 2.4 billion, in addition to the billion already foreseen, reaching 146.3 billion in 2027. It is established that a quota of 138 million euros for 2027 falls "in the free availability of the regions and autonomous provinces, also in order to deal with any costs deriving from the effects of inflation".
A portion of the increase in financing of the National Health Service, equal to 500 million euros per year, is allocated to the revision of the maximum tariffs for the remuneration of hospital care services for acute patients. Furthermore, starting from January 1, 2027, the gross annual spending limits will be increased by 380 million euros, with the aim of allocating more resources for the compensation provided for medical managers and staff in the healthcare sector. The spending ceiling for medical devices rises to 4.7%: the State will cover 1.4 billion of the 4 billion owed by companies for the 2019-2023 payback. And a 300 euro card is coming for those over 75 with pensions or disability allowances of up to 28 thousand euros.
After the launch of the maneuver, the presidents of the six Regions led by the center-left - Eugenio Giani (Tuscany), Antonio Decaro (Puglia), Michele De Pascale (Emilia-Romagna), Roberto Fico (Campania), Stefania Proietti (Umbria) and Alessandra Todde (Sardinia) - sent a joint letter to the president of the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces Massimiliano Fedriga to request the urgent convocation of the organism. At the center of the request are the strong critical issues linked to the financial law, starting from the stability of the public health system. At stake, they say, is the "very stability of the public health system", not guaranteed by the allocation.
A negative opinion also comes from the National Federation of Medical Orders (Fnomceo): "Responses from the maneuver are still insufficient", states president Filippo Anelli. The Regions, he notes, "have asked for an additional 18 billion for healthcare over 3 years. Instead, 3.4 billion will arrive in '27 which will cover increases in energy costs, but will not allow other interventions: reduction of waiting lists, hiring and salaries remain unanswered". However, according to Anelli, the intervention for the elderly is positive, which "could contribute to making access to services effective, especially for those with greater economic difficulties".
The debate then moved to article 73 which confirms the payback mechanism for the period 2019-2023 for medical equipment and technology companies. The same article also provides for the raising of the national spending ceiling for the purchase of devices from 2027, bringing it to 4.7% of the financing of the national health service, with a burden of 146 million euros per year. However, this measure is not enough for Confindustria medical devices which announces "legal actions and protests" in the absence of corrective measures. "The maneuver calls us to bear costs that do not depend on our management, presenting an unsustainable bill caused by the Regions' overruns", claims president Fabio Faltoni. While Conflavoro Pmi Sanità speaks of "bleeding of the companies that provide the healthcare service". From the off-patent medicines industry, however, comes the alarm over the production of essential medicines, penalized by the same payback mechanism. "The investment incentives - explains the president of Egualia, Riccardo Zagaria - are a positive signal but are not sufficient to resolve the structural critical issues that threaten the production of equivalents, i.e. drugs which, with their lower prices, guarantee the sustainability of public health".
The Regions had unanimously approved a document with the rules to be included in the budget. They were asking for around 18 billion over three years. For 2027, there were around 7.5 billion, including the billion allocated by last year's budget. The missing funds would have been used by the Regions to strengthen a series of activities such as cancer screening, assistance for autism and mental health problems, for the purchase of new hospital equipment, for the hiring of doctors or for salary increases for staff.
