In one bottle: low-income pensioners want to compensate for the cost of medicines
Pensioners with low incomes want to be compensated for medicines. We are talking about those people whose income is below 1.5 times the minimum subsistence level in their region of residence. Such a bill has been prepared for submission to the State Duma. It involves compensation for the cost of medications prescribed by a doctor. Drug prices increased by 12% in 2024, and the growth continues this year. The initiative is supported by the Duma Committee on health Protection, but the budget committee and experts consider the proposal unrealizable.
Why do pensioners want to compensate for the cost of medicines
Pensioners whose income is below 1.5 times the subsistence level are offered to fully compensate for the cost of medicines prescribed by doctors. Such a bill with amendments to the law "On the Basics of Health Protection" will be submitted to the State Duma on October 28 by deputies of the Fair Russia faction headed by Sergei Mironov.
Currently, only privileged categories of Russians have the right to receive free medicines. These include people with disabilities of all groups, combat veterans, WWII veterans, as well as those affected by radiation due to accidents and nuclear tests. At the same time, people who receive a minimum pension for old age, disability or loss of breadwinner, working disabled people of group II, disabled people of group III who are recognized as unemployed, as well as people who in 1988-1990 took part in the aftermath of the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and home front workers during the Second World War have a partial discount on the purchase of medicines..
The document, which Izvestia has, states that systemic support for the older generation is an integral part of Russia's demographic policy. The fulfillment by the State of obligations to the older generation is an important element in the implementation of the principle of the welfare State provided for by the Constitution. At the same time, according to a study by HSE scientists, people over the age of 70 spend more than 80% of their income on basic needs. The main expenses include medicines and medicine.
The authors of the bill also point out: according to Rosstat, as of January 1, 2024, the population over the working age was about 34 million people, while 90% of people over the age of 60 have at least one chronic disease. At the same time, prices for medicines increased by 12% last year, which is higher than inflation on December 2 at 9.07%.
"The bill is aimed at strengthening social support for the most vulnerable categories of citizens and implementing the principles of healthcare through a mechanism for full compensation of the cost of medicines prescribed by a doctor for pensioners whose income is below 1.5 times the subsistence level in their region of residence," the document says.
The financial and economic justification for it states that funds for the implementation of the initiative are proposed to be allocated from the federal budget, as well as from the budgets of regions where elderly people live.
— Unlike the poor and those with many children, the vast majority of pensioners do not have any benefits or additional payments. Only people over the age of 80 receive financial assistance, and everyone else has to rely on their pension, close relatives, or only on their own strength," Sergei Mironov explained to Izvestia the reasons for drafting the bill.
According to him, the monthly living wage of a pensioner, depending on the region, is 12-17 thousand rubles, and the pensions of many of them do not reach 20 thousand.
Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Health with a request to comment on the prospects for supporting the bill.
Pros and cons of the initiative
The bill is ready to be supported by the State Duma Committee on Health Protection.
"I fully support and propose to expand it even further: to provide all pensioners with free medicines, regardless of whether their pension exceeds the minimum subsistence level or not," Sergei Leonov, the head of the committee, told Izvestia.
According to him, currently pensions in Russia are low, and medicines are very expensive. Some people spend half of their pensions on them, while others simply cannot afford them, the MP stressed. This is especially sensitive for citizens who receive social pensions. These are those who have not accumulated sufficient work experience and points to receive an insurance pension, or those who have never been officially employed. The average size of such a pension in the Russian Federation, as reported by Izvestia, is about 15 thousand rubles.
— In my opinion, such compensation for drugs should be allocated to all people who suffer from chronic diseases (hypertension, otosclerosis, bronchial asthma, etc.), and not just pensioners, — said Alexey Kurinny, deputy chairman of the committee from the Communist Party faction. — We have many different federal and regional programs, but, unfortunately, they are not combined, so there are those who need, but still do not receive medicines because they cannot buy them because of the high price. Today, at best, all preferential programs cover one third of those in need.
The State Duma Budget Committee, however, believes that the Fair Russia initiative is unlikely to be implemented.
— If pensioners receive payments below the subsistence level, they are entitled to an additional pension payment from either the federal or regional budget. Therefore, from a formal point of view, their incomes cannot be less — this may be the basis for rejecting the bill. Another thing is that the regions do not always fulfill their obligations, for example, in terms of providing medicines to the same beneficiaries," Oksana Dmitrieva, a member of the committee, told Izvestia.
The idea of the bill is absolutely positive, this measure will increase the solvency of the population, said Georgy Ostapkovich, scientific director of the HSE Center for Economic Research and Economic Development. According to him, if desired, it is possible to find financing for these purposes, so everything will depend on whether the deputies will or will not pass this bill. If it is accepted, the Ministry of Finance will be asked this question.
However, according to the expert, this is most likely not going to happen, since the federal budget has already been curtailed and it is difficult to introduce new costly initiatives into it.
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