The Ministry of Health says it is still waiting for the insurance sector to submit a concept on supplementary packages. Meanwhile, private sector representatives claim they already sent the proposal to the Deputy Minister in the spring and are still waiting for a response from the Ministry.
The Insurance Association argues that introducing supplementary packages would lower patients’ out-of-pocket costs and also reduce the amount of budget money currently spent through programs outside of universal healthcare.
“I don’t understand why they refuse to review the very wrong decision made in 2017. It doesn’t cost the state anything, and it would improve both people’s access to medical services and the government’s ability to manage the healthcare system. Earlier this year, Deputy Minister Irakli Sasania showed interest in the issue. We met with him, discussed it, and submitted our concept. Of course, the document is not yet final, the details still need to be worked out once we start planning the next steps.
The agreement was that we should sit down together, talk professionally and calmly, and consider the government’s concerns, including possible budget risks. Only then can the restriction be lifted.
This is not some major reform. It’s simply the removal of limits within one program. And it is strange that half of Georgia’s population is not affected by this restriction, while the others are, these are those people who work and create the country’s wealth, ” said Devi Khechinashvili, Chairman of the Georgian Insurance Association.
