PAY-BACK The recovery of extra expenditure on medicines has been extended to the end of 2008. For companies, payment to the Regions remains possible
Extension of the pharmaceutical pay-back for all of 2008; obligation of transparency on the prices of non-prescription medicines; firm stakes on the purchase of services from the accredited private individual.
And again: the corrections to the 2008 Budget, setting a maximum time of 180 days for the extraordinary commissioner to draw up the liquidation plan for the Mauritian Order; the stabilization throughout 2009 of precarious health doctors (16 in all; total cost 1.2 million euro); funding (6 million a year in 2008-2010) to the Mediterranean Institute of Hematology (IME); the postponement to the end of the year of the update of the maximum reference tariffs for the services granted by the NHS.
There are seven urgent adjustments envisaged for health care by the milleproroghe decree, launched yesterday by the Council of Ministers.
The most important issues concern the pharmaceutical chapter, starting with the measure which extends the pay-back mechanism for the whole of 2008 by pharmaceutical companies which, in order to remedy the sector extra-excess charged to them, have preferred to pay the amount due directly into the coffers of the Regions, rather than having the 5% cut on the price lists.
The mechanism – introduced by the 2007 Budget Law – was to be applied only until February 2008, but it is expected to continue until the end of the year to avoid the automatic restoration of the cut for companies that have exercised the option. A sort of "bridge" regulation awaiting the advent of the new mechanism launched with the fiscal link which, in the meantime, has confirmed the pharmaceutical price lists resulting from the 2006 and 2007 maneuvers for the current year.
Still the drugs in the foreground in the standard that requires companies to notify Health and Aifa (Italian Medicines Agency) of the ex-factory prices of products that can be sold without a medical prescription. A caution made necessary by the expiry - December 31st - of the mechanism introduced for self-medication medicines by the 2007 Budget: public price freely set (with discounts) by the seller and the obligation not to exceed the maximum prices in force on December 31st 2006. The objective of the measure, to maintain vigilance on market dynamics: lfailed or untruthful communication will cost companies a fine of one thousand to 6 thousand euros for each medicine whose data has been omitted or altered.Precautionary measure also the one designed to prevent possible disputes by NHS accredited private individuals for any tariff changes during construction. Unless specific supplementary agreements are made, the Regions will make ends meet while leaving the maximum remuneration ceiling already fixed unchanged and reviewing the volume of services. The agreements already signed for 2008 will have to be adjusted within a month. Sara Todaro Il Sole 24 Ore of 29/12/2007 IN THE FOREGROUND p. 2
