site.btaUPDATED National Health Insurance Fund Greenlights Draft Budget for 2026

The Supervisory Board of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) approved the NHIF draft budget for 2026, NHIF Supervisory Board Chair and Deputy Health Minister Yavor Penchev announced Sunday after the Board’s meeting.

Penchev explained that the new draft includes two main changes. Funding for young doctors will now be included in the Ministry of Health budget, allocated through a different mechanism and in a different amount. The first NHIF draft budget for 2026 included a EUR 260 million transfer from the central government budget, allocated for the salaries of medical staff in healthcare facilities. Additionally, the draft does not include a provision that was in the previous version, which would have fixed minimum salaries for certain categories of medical staff, Penchev said. 

According to him, the Ministry of Health's budget provides for the creation of a support programme for medical specialists, which is to be developed by the Minister in charge within two months of the law's promulgation and submitted to the Council of Ministers for a vote. EUR 30 million have been earmarked to launch the programme.

A 10% increase in remuneration is planned for nurses and specialists, in line with the income policy for the whole country, Penchev said. He noted that the nursing profession has been declared a protected profession, which means that the State covers all training costs. There has also been an increase in the number of students studying the subject, which now stands at 1,200, added the Chairman of the NHIF Supervisory Board.

Penchev noted that the new draft budget is the result of a consensus between employers, trade unions, the State, and participants in the healthcare system. According to him, the Government listened to the trade unions and young doctors, as well as to the opinion of the Bulgarian Medical Association.

NHIF head Petko Stefanovski announced that the total revenue section has been reduced, which is why there are small reductions in all other items. This has been done proportionally and there are no differences in the policies towards the groups in the expenditure section of the budget, Stefanovski explained.

According to him, there are new developments in the financing for the introduction of an electronic health insurance card. With the cards, each person will be able to identify themselves when using medical services in hospitals, outpatient care, or pharmacies. It will be possible to verify the activity and access the patient's file, he said. He added that the cards will be physical plastic cards and a mobile application. They are expected to be operational in early 2027, and now it remains to develop the subordinate legislation regulating the use of the card.

Stefanovski also said that, for the first time in the NHIF's drug policy, drugs will be divided into generic drugs and those with original molecules, with talk of a pro-generic policy in drug supply. He pointed out that medicines are already divided, and generic products will not be covered by the NHIF's cost reimbursement mechanism. "In this way, we hope to encourage the use of generic products, which are significantly cheaper, and thus save costs for insured persons," said the NHIF Director.

Earlier on Sunday, the Supervisory Board of the National Social Security Institute unanimously approved the draft public social insurance budget for 2026. The National Council for Tripartite Cooperation will meet on Monday to consider that draft budget along with the 2026 State Budget Bill and the NHIF Budget Bill, after which the Council of Ministers is expected to approve the bills and submit them to Parliament the same afternoon.