The deficit of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is over 403 million leva. This was told to journalists by the Governor of the NHIF, Assoc. Prof. Petko Stefanovski, after the meeting of the Supervisory Board of the Fund. The budget balance as of June 30, 2025 shows that the reported revenues and transfers amount to 4,439,533.2 thousand leva, and the reported expenses and transfers amount to a total of 4,843,511.8 thousand leva.
The current budget balance is negative – a little over 403 million leva, he pointed out. I would not undertake to make a forecast for the deficit by the end of the year, added Assoc. Prof. Stefanovski. The Fund's reserve will be opened in September and then it will be decided how to distribute it, but it will be distributed in a way that covers the excess activity of hospitals, he added.
Patients' rights will not be violated, Assoc. Prof. Stefanovski assured in response to a question about the presidential veto rejected today on changes to the Health Insurance Act, which imposed limits on hospital activity. Assoc. Stefanovski added that the deficit in the NHIF budget will not affect the quality of hospital treatment for patients.
The revenue transfers from the National Revenue Agency (NRA) are about 4% less than those set in the fund's budget, exceeding the budgets for medicines and medical devices in hospital care, as well as for hospital care, are some of the main problems, Assoc. Prof. Stefanovski also said. The excess activity reported by hospitals for May and June is about 14-15 million leva, he pointed out, specifying that the amounts are not that large.
It is being considered to create and introduce a mechanism for cost recovery and for predictability and sustainability of the Fund's budget and for medical devices, as is the analogous mechanism for medicines, Assoc. Prof. Stefanovski also said.