Hospitals threaten to turn away NSSF patients

Economic bodies object to proposal to
raise subscription ceiling to LL2.5 million

Hospitals are threatening not to admit patients covered by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) if hospital tariffs are not increased for NSSF patients. In order to pay higher tariffs to hospitals, the NSSF insists it needs to raise subscriptions to its health and maternity fund.

The economic bodies are still refusing to increase their subscriptions to the health and maternity fund, out of which hospitalization fees are paid. Employers pay out seven percent of each employee’s salary to the fund, the employee pays two percent. The ceiling paid out to the fund per employee was set at nine percent of LL1.5 million. The NSSF wants to raise that ceiling to nine percent of LL2.5 million.

The Health ministry issued a decision to raise hospital tariffs from August 1. All hospitals started to apply the increased tariffs on all patients except NSSF patients, as the NSSF is struggling with financial difficulties. A new deadline of September 1 has been set.

A study by an NSSF expert found that raising the ceiling to LL2 million would generate annual revenue of about LL18 billion for the NSSF, while raising the ceiling to LL2.5 million would generate LL60 billion in revenue. The overall financial burden on the NSSF that would result from raising hospital tariffs would top LL134 billion, the study found.

Mohammad Karaki, director general of the NSSF, said earlier that LL18 billion is not enough because the health and maternity fund needs to pay back LL30 billion it withdraws annually from the end of service fund at the NSSF, plus interest.

“Based on the study by the NSSF expert, the first scenario (generating LL18 billion) is sufficient to cover the increase in hospital tariffs,” said Nabil Fahed, vice president for Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Beirut and Mount Lebanon.

“Karaki wants to achieve a sustainable balance between departments. But each department should be independent from the other,” said Fahed. He said the decision to transfer money between departments should be taken by the NSSF board of directors which should justify it.

“We demand the segregation of departments and the reform of the NSSF because money is being wasted as many people are benefiting from the fund’s services without paying anything in return,” said Fahd. “We support hospital demands for higher tariffs, because these demands are righteous. The NSSF should resolve its own problems.”

Reported by Rania Ghanem