[ad_1]
On Monday, the Lithuanian National Christian Democratic Union, the Liberal Movement and the Freedom Party signed a coalition agreement. Coalition partners have repeatedly stated that one of their top priorities is protecting health. However, some lines of the coalition treaty have raised concerns about the possible privatization of the health system.
“We will create a crisis-friendly health system that is convenient, accessible and of high quality for the population, providing services throughout the country, without discriminating against private health institutions,” states the coalition agreement.
However, the document, signed by the conservatives and the two liberal parties, highlighted the non-discrimination of private health institutions by opposition Social Democrats.
„[Socialdemokratai] It will monitor with great concern the possible provisions of the coalition agreement to privatize the health system and will do everything possible to oppose such efforts. The healthcare system in Lithuania must be public and financed with all the taxes we pay, ”the Social Democratic faction said in a statement.
Sigismund Mauricas, chief economist at Luminor Bank, told the tv3.lt news portal that he did not believe that the new government parties had the privatization of the health system in mind. However, according to the interlocutor, the private health system complements the State and does not allow the latter “to rest on its laurels.”
“When it comes to working together between public and private health, the challenges are due more to the lack of separation of duties. There are certain conflicts of interest when people work in both a private and public healthcare facility. <...> There was a fear that if the same person works in both a private and a public institution, they pay less attention and effort to the latter, ”said Ž. Mauricas.
According to him, if the functions were separated and the specialists working in the public system concentrated on their work, the competition between public and private health would bring positive results.
Ž. According to Maurico, in this regard Lithuania could learn from the practice of foreign countries. According to the economist, different models of the health system can be accepted in different countries.
In Switzerland, for example, the health system is based on the principle of insurance. Necessary services, such as ambulance, are also provided to people who do not pay health insurance tax to the state, as in Lithuania. Basic health services are provided to anyone who pays taxes.
“But if you want something more exceptional, get the fastest service, have a higher quality room, these are models that allow you to buy more expensive health insurance and the utility line is more abundant,” said Ž. Mauricas.
Another example is the existing premium system in Scandinavia. Like Ž. Mauricio, whether he goes to a public or private medical center, still has to pay for part of the service out of his own pocket.
“They are trying to introduce a similar system in Lithuania, but a shadow market is emerging. It is often confusing to ask if there are unique rooms, and the answer is usually no. After that, it turns out that such rooms exist, you just have to pay, sometimes formally, sometimes informally. The clearer and more formal that system is, the better for the consumer “, explained Ž. Mauricas.
According to the economist, a system based on different health policies is a bit premature for Lithuania, although this could be an aspiration. However, as Ž. Mauritius, like all systems, has its own nuances, for example, in the United States, health insurance is extremely expensive.
“Perhaps Lithuania should take a step towards the Scandinavian model to legalize premiums and not have the idea that these services are free,” said the economist.
“Services could be reimbursed even with a very high percentage, like 99 percent. But even so, one would realize that it is a paid service that costs the work of every professional. Each service has a clear price, they are there, the health insurance fund determines them, but most of the time patients do not see them, ”said Ž. Mauricas.
Then, according to the interlocutor, a transparent premium system should be ensured, in which the patient would receive a higher quality service for an additional fee, be it a single room or tastier food.
“And the third is a private health system, which would set a competitive tone and prevent the state system from loosening up,” Ž. Mauricas.
We review the most important provisions of the coalition agreement:
1. Economic and social policy. Coalition partners acknowledge that they have not yet agreed on the level of public sector funding and possible fiscal changes. The Liberals have not included provisions to lower the tax rate, but promise that labor taxes will not increase and the possibility of waiving taxes on reinvested earnings will be “evaluated.” The agreement emphasizes the traditional policy of the right to increase the efficiency of the public sector, reduce business regulation and encourage investment. Reducing social exclusion is promised by improving access to social services. Pensions, child benefits and other social benefits are not mentioned in the contract.
2. The transformation of education. The coalition identifies reducing exclusion in education as a top priority. The parties promise to provide children with “the same opportunities to achieve the best education, regardless of their place of residence or social status,” to increase teachers’ salaries to at least 130 percent. average salary, but the measures are not detailed, nothing is said about the revision of the school network or the class basket model. Research shows that in Lithuania, children’s learning outcomes are poorer in rural areas, where schools are smaller and classes are merged.
3. Human rights. At the initiative of the smaller coalition partners, it was agreed to legalize homosexual associations and the spelling of non-Lithuanian names in the passport, but the Conservatives reserved the right to vote freely, including a clause on “differences of opinion within the factions. ” The coalition treaty does not explicitly mention gay couples as a family. The probability that these laws will be passed is increased by the fact that not only future rulers (about half of the Conservatives, the Liberal Movement and the Freedom Party) can vote for them, but also the Social Democrats and some other members. of the opposition.
4. Foreign and defense policy. Foreign policy has not been a very important issue in the negotiations so far. The treaty emphasizes the “continuity of transatlantic foreign policy relations,” promising to abide by the parties’ agreement to increase defense spending. The document mentions support for “freedom fighters” in Taiwan, which will enrage China. The established promise to “speak openly against any violation of human rights and democratic freedoms” may mean a more critical approach to some of the actions of the Polish government, but national security interests and the president’s position are likely to further the actions. good bilateral relations with Warsaw.
5. Portfolio division. The coalition agreement defines the framework for the negotiations scheduled for this week on the composition and positions of the Government in the Seimas. The document establishes that the positions will be distributed in proportion to the number of mandates, giving a greater relative weight to the positions of Prime Minister and Spokesperson of the Seimas, but a specific formula is not specified. The Conservatives are likely to get the post of prime minister and nine ministers, the Liberal Movement – the post of Speaker of the Seimas and two portfolios of ministers, although they may try to get the third, and the Freedom Party will probably get three portfolios of ministers.
The Seimas will meet for the first session of the newly elected mandate on Friday, November 13.
[ad_2]
