Vladimir Putin is proposing creating a system of compulsory medicine insurance. Experts consider this correct. The practice exists throughout the world. But in Russia it may not inspire the population
The head of government held a meeting on the development of medicine production. The prime minister said that Russia lags behind leading countries in terms of the level of medicine consumption. This is not because fewer people get sick, but because many simply can not afford necessary, but expensive and largely imported drugs.
The prime minister wants to provide Russians with the opportunity to buy the necessary medicines by creating a universal medicine insurance system with state co-financing.
The system of compulsory medicine insurance exists in almost all developed countries, notes Drug-Store Monitoring Group CEO Alexandr Kuzin. It is combined with medical insurance. "With insurance a patient can not only receive free treatment from doctors, but also get their prescription drugs," says Kuzin. True, in different countries medicines are either provided absolutely free or are discounted.
How this will be realized in Russia is not yet known. According to Kuzin, it would be wise to introduce completely free drugs, but not all, only the cheapest for the treatment of a certain illness. If a person wants to buy a more expensive medicine, he will have to pay the difference between the drug he wants and the cheapest equivalent.
Kuzin believes that insurance contributions should be the same for everyone, but that the state should pay for patients with complicated and costly to treat diseases. Compulsory insurance should cover the total cost of treatment (including doctors and medication) up to $20-30,000. The insurance is likely to be paid for by employers.
According to Kuzin, abuses should not arise in this system if independent insurers participate in it. They will be able to easily check whether a doctor prescribes a necessary and cheap medicine, or in addition to it expensive and unnecessary drugs.
However, health services consumers may not be enthusiastic. The cheapest domestic-generic drugs have many side effects, and sometimes, in treating one illness, they can provoke the emergence of another. The cost of their foreign equivalents varies, but people will have to reach into their own pockets to pay for them.
Evgeniya Novikova, Yekaterina Shokhina
http://eng.expert.ru
