Bulgarian MPs override presidential veto of Medical Insurance Act amendments
Bulgaria’s National Assembly voted on July 31 to overturn President Roumen Radev’s veto on amendments to the country’s Medical Insurance Act, meant to prevent hospitals from exceeding their annual state medical insurance allocations.
There were 124 votes in favour of overriding the veto, 85 against, and three abstentions.
In his motives for the veto, Radev argued that the bill’s provision that sets limits on health care providers not to exceed the extent of their annual contracts with the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) could potentially restrict patients’ constitutional right to health care.
He cited a Constitutional Court ruling from 2023, which scrapped a similar provision banning NHIF from paying health care providers for services rendered over the value of the respective provider’s annual contract with NHIF.
Bulgaria’s constitution grants the head of state a limited power of veto, through enabling the President to return legislation to the National Assembly for further discussion.
The National Assembly may overturn the President’s veto through a simple majority vote or accept the veto and review the vetoed clauses. Since taking office in January 2017, Radev made liberal use of the power and this was his 39th vetoed bill.
The National Assembly overturned the veto on all but eight occasions – seven times the veto was accepted by MPs and, in the other case, the government coalition at the time failed to muster the support needed to overturn it.
(Photo: parliament.bg)
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