The Finance Ministry wants to start collecting 50NIS per day for hospitalization? I have a better suggestion for the people of the Finance Ministry. They should collect 10NIS per day for education, and 1 shekel for every citizen crossing the street at a crosswalk.
--------Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman protesting the suggested plan by the Finance Ministry...
Other countries have similar things (not necessarily for hospital beds, but for health care services). It's called a co-pay, and the point it to serve as a deterrent for people who would otherwise take advantage of the system. This will both reduce costs, and free up some badly needed space in hospitals. Of course, in reality, if someone really can't afford the payment, there's no way anyone's going to make them pay.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's hysterical that he (probably) wants as much budget as possible for health services, but derides ideas to help that fund that goal.
his concern with this is that if they charge 50nis [per day] to come to the hospital, people of meager means from the weaker sectors will need to go to the hospital but will not go because they will be afraid they cannot afford it.
ReplyDeleteTo an american (oleh or otherwise) this sounds strange - what is 50 sheks for a hospital visit that you would not take your sick kid if he had to go? But for people who always lived in a socialized health care system where it was always free, it is a big change.
Then how does charging NIS10 for school (which is still cheap, especially if it improves things) or NIS1 to cross the street any better?
ReplyDeleteAlso, if that was his point, it was a pretty silly way of making it. Instead of making a serious point which must be addressed (poor people avoiding necessary medical treatment), he made a flip comment which is easily ignored.
But what can you expect from someone who organized a medical advisory board without a single medical professional on it? (It has a wide range of rabbis on it - different kinds of chareidim!)
I think that was Rafi G's point. It's all silly.
ReplyDeleteBut I pay co-pays everytime I go to my dr (not the hospital) it is worse if I go to the hosptial. :(