site.btaNational Health Insurance Fund Has Run Up Deficit of Over BGN 400 Mln

Following a meeting of the Supervisory Board of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) on Thursday, Associate Professor Petko Stefanovski, Governor of the NHIF, said that the Fund has run up a deficit of over BGN 403 million. As of June 30, 2025, the NHIF had reported revenues and transfers totaling BGN 4,439,533,200, while expenditures and transfers amounted to BGN 4,843,511,800, resulting in a negative budget balance. Stefanovski said that he does not want to predict the year-end deficit. He noted that the Fund’s reserve would be opened in September, at which point a decision would be made on how to allocate the funds. In his words, the reserve will be used to cover hospitals' over-limit activities.

Stefanovski noted that patients' rights will not be violated. He was responding to a question regarding the presidential veto of amendments to the Health Insurance Act, which introduced limits on hospital activity. The veto was overturned earlier in the day and the revisions were passed conclusively. When he vetoed provisions of the bill last week, President Rumen Radev argued that the revisions could limit citizens’ constitutional right to a choice of treatment at a particular medical-treatment facility.

The NHIF Governor said that the current budget shortfall will not affect the quality of hospital care for patients.

He added that revenue transfers from the National Revenue Agency are about 4% lower than projected in the NHIF’s budget. Cost overruns in hospital care - particularly for medicines, medical devices, and inpatient services - are among the main contributors to the deficit. Hospitals reported over-limit activity of about BGN 14–15 million for both May and June, Stefanovski said, adding that these figures are not excessively high.