APS: Period for Restoring Health Insurance Rights Should Be 3 Years Instead of 5

The parliamentary group of the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms is proposing an amendment to the Health Insurance Act. According to the proposal, the restoration of health insurance rights would occur upon payment of due contributions for the past three years, instead of five, as is currently required. In the explanatory memorandum to the proposal, the MPs point out that while the reference period for losing health insurance rights is 36 months or three years, the period for restoring them is 60 months or five years. According to them, this creates an inequality.

“This measure was introduced in 2015 with the hope of restoring fairness in mandatory health insurance. Instead of a decrease in the number of uninsured individuals, we are witnessing a drastic increase,” the explanatory memorandum to the bill states.

According to data from the MPs, as of April 1, 2025, the amount required to restore health insurance rights totals 5,169.60 BGN (at 86.60 BGN per month) for self-insured individuals. For socially disadvantaged and unemployed persons without the right to cash benefits, the amount is 2,584.80 BGN (at 43.08 BGN per month).

According to various analyses, the number of uninsured Bulgarian citizens varies between 700,000 and over 2 million people. Data from the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies indicate that 11–12% of the population lacks health insurance rights. This is equivalent to approximately 700,000–750,000 people. According to information from the NHIF, as of May 2025, the number of health-insured persons with suspended rights is 1,186,699. According to the NRA, as of the same date, they number 2,152,847.

“This huge discrepancy is likely due to different methodologies. Regardless of which figure is correct, the problem is serious and requires solutions. The uninsured undermine the solidarity of the system. The NHIF budget suffers from a chronic shortage of funds, emergency care units are overburdened, and hospitals cannot refuse emergency cases, thus accumulating debt. Furthermore, access to health services for these citizens is limited, with all the resulting consequences,” the APS writes.

According to the parliamentary group’s analysis, the uninsured population is predominantly composed of working-age youth who are neither in education nor employment (NEETs). There are also individuals with low or no education and income, representatives of households at risk of poverty and social exclusion, and members of the Roma community. The uninsured also include unemployed citizens without the right to benefits, as well as workers without employment contracts and Bulgarians returning from abroad without information regarding their obligations.

“The proposal we are making is a small step toward facilitating access to medical services for individuals with suspended health insurance rights. The problem of the uninsured is structural and requires a thorough analysis of socio-economic factors. With the proposed bill, we are laying the foundation for subsequent management decisions aimed at restoring trust in the system,” the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms stated.