VIZCAYA, LA AVANZADILLA DEL COPAGO

Failing that Health officials give the go-ahead to the progressive implementation of pharmaceutical copayment in the Basque Country, a number of Basques have becomein recent months in the first Basque citizens who are having to deal with this cost-saving measure ordered by the central government.

Although the former Department of Health established a compensation system that Basques they had to buy medicines in other regions recover the money they had to pay on this account, the reimbursement of these amounts has not worked in Biscay in the first six months copayment in the rest of Spain.

Since last summer, the Territorial Directorate of Health in this province, responsible for ordering the return has not made payments on the grounds that you do not have sufficient legal support to materialize, according to the former department. And thisbecause the Constitutional Court has provisionally suspended the decree passed by the Socialist government to prevent the copayment, that incLudes this mechanism returns.

Those responsible for the Territorial limited for months to ensure that await to receive "guidance" of the current department to know how they should proceed.

Unlike in Bizkaia, land inhabited by thousands of people who have a second home for example in Cantabria, where the copayment has been in effect since last July, in Araba and Gipuzkoa have emerged such doubts.

The Department of Healthprevious nor the current Health COUNTRY been forwarded to the data requested on the returns of the copayment made so far and on the number of patients affected by the plant of Biscay, but, according to data released in mid-September, applications hovered Biscay by then the 600. Health spokesmen referred last week to requests for refunds as a situation "residual".

Although this group of Basques are Basque advance on pharmaceutical copayment for the rest of the residents in the Basque Country the exact date of entry into force of pharmaceutical copayment is still unknown. They are not, however, how they work and the difficulties they may face the autonomous in its application, given the experience of other regions of Spain, who in recent months have had different problems to clear up.

Anyway, the Basque population is already divided by strips of income level. That is, although it is applied, each assigned Basque citizen and a co-type from 001 to 006 -, based on dataits income statement of last year.

The taxpayer data held, every year, your personal journey through the institutions: the three Provincial forward it to the National Institute of Social Security (on request of this), the end of the campaign in summer income. The Institute in turn forwards them to the Ministry of Health, which is the Department of Health returns translated into code and its corresponding co-payment level, as appropriate in each case.

Since last summer, the Basque Government warned that presented data matching errors and did not take into account some situations, especially related to non-contributory benefits.

Once dumped by Health copayment data in the individual health cards (TIS), each user is marked with the corresponding code which is then reflected in the recipes. With the visit to the pharmacist, the cost of the drug passes from zero euros to 10% of the total in thefor pensioners, red recipe users, and 40% to 60% for all other taxpayers.

The computer system needed to manage the co-payment is not yet ready. But there is more. The decree law that states launched, reached a certain limit monthly spending on medicines, should stop paying pensioners. The incomes below 18,000 euros will be capped at eight euros a month and from that amount, they finance all prescription drugs. Those with higher income pay 18,000 euros up to 18 euros a month for their medications. Only incomes above 100,000 euros raised the ceiling to 60 euros. This means that not only do the calculations necessary copayment, but also control how much has faced a month a patient to quit drugs charge when the cap is exceeded. This issue "is a problem", recognize sources of counseling.

Today, the Basque citizens are divided between those who have the new electronic health card (60,000), which allows to use electronic prescriptions, and those who maintain theabove, yet most. Who can use the electronic prescription will have their own accounting system, but the rest will need to establish another, explain the sources. For who have been overcharged, we must follow the procedure for reimbursement of expenses.

The calculations of the previous maintainers of counseling, very critical of the copayment in general and with the established system, shed high numbers in this sense: between 100,000 and 200,000 refunds within six months. Returns must take just three to six months, but the truth is that in other regions, such as Baleares, these margins are not being respected.

In the case of young people who, for reasons of study or find work not even listed on their parents' health card, the copayment will face will be the one that depends on the income level of their parents.