The proposal for a 45-euro deductible for adults came before MPs in Parliament Thursday. It calls for Kela to reimburse the cost of prescription medicines only after patients cover 45 euros of the cost themselves. The proposal would not apply to patients under the age of 18.
The Ministry is also proposing to increase the percentage of the Kela reimbursement from its current 35 percent to 40 percent. Reimbursements for special cases will remain unchanged.
The scheme also would not alter the current annual ceiling of 610 euros for out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs. The annual cap means that individuals only have to fork out a co-payment of 1.50 euros for each purchase that exceeds the limit.
Government hopes the scheme will help save an estimated 26 million euros annually on the cost of medicine reimbursements. If it’s approved by lawmakers, it will come into effect in 2016.
