Prime Minister Popescu-Tariceanu yesterday announced in a meeting with elderly citizens in northern Romania that the government plans to grant pensioners compensation worth 90 percent on medications. This is seen as an electoral move, as many retired voters will pay less for compensated treatments.
The present system divides medications into three categories covered by public health insurance, some free of charge, and the other two subsidized at 50 or 90 percent, according to their costs and the health programs they are included in.
The new plan was put forward back in June by the Social Democratic opposition in the Senate, but was rejected. This measure was originally applied for one year in 2004, when PSD was in power, and revoked by the Tariceanu government in 2005. The governing Liberals and the Social Democrats have recently been accused of forming a secret alliance for electoral purposes against the Democratic Party, formerly led by President Traian Basescu, and initially part of the governing coalition.
Tariceanu said the measure can go into effect only when the future information technology system of the National House for Health Insurance (CNAS) becomes operational on January 1, 2008. The system is due to oversee the distribution of medications to all health insurance contributors and to manage the expenses of CNAS.
