ZAGREB, Feb 6 (Hina) - Pensioners' representatives have said that most pensioners should not be affected by the cancellation of the additional health insurance scheme because the government has pledged to exempt all persons over the
age of 65 from the payment of participation fees, but that this decision will affect pensioners under that age who were sent into early retirement, as well as unemployed people and workers with low income.
ZAGREB, Feb 6 (Hina) - Pensioners' representatives have said that most
pensioners should not be affected by the cancellation of the
additional health insurance scheme because the government has pledged
to exempt all persons over the age of 65 from the payment of
participation fees, but that this decision will affect pensioners
under that age who were sent into early retirement, as well as
unemployed people and workers with low income.#L#
Croatian Pensioners' Party (HSU) leader Vladimir Jordan told Hina that
pensioners were alarmed by the announced cancellation of additional
health insurance, but that they would not be affected by that decision
given the agreement between the HSU and the Croatian Democratic Union
exempting people over 65 from paying participation fees.
Jordan said he expected to meet Health Minister Andrija Hebrang to
discuss the implementation of the part of the agreement referring to
changes to the Law on Health Insurance.
Pensioners were against additional health insurance because during
their years of service they had paid health insurance contributions,
and with additional health insurance introduced, they were forced to
pay twice for the same health service, he said.
Of a total of 1,050,000 pensioners, 600,000 are exempt from paying
participation fees on the grounds of illness or low income.
The leader of the Croatian Union of Pensioners, Ivan Nahtigal, warned
that the cancellation of additional health insurance would affect
pensioners under the age of 65, of whom he said there was a
considerable number and who were often forced to retire before
reaching retirement age.
The leader of the Croatian Association of Pensioners, Vladimir Lokmer,
said that the effects of cancellation of additional health insurance
were difficult to predict as it was not certain how health insurance
funds would be secured if people above the age of 65 were exempt from
paying for health services.
He also said that 380,000 pensioners were forced to pay additional
health insurance as otherwise they would have been forced to pay part
of treatment costs.
"We support reforms, but one should stop the practice of shifting the
burden of all reforms, from health reforms to pension and social
reforms, onto the pensioners," Lokmer said.
(Hina) rml