A bonus intended for elderly people over 75 to be used to pay for drugs, visits and medical tests not covered by the national health service. The measure, supported above all by Forza Italia, could end up in the next budget law with the aim of giving relief to the frail elderly and in precarious economic conditions. But also to respond to the opposition’s accusations of neglecting the needs of those who can no longer afford treatment.
According to what ‘Il Sole 24 Ore’ reports, the government’s idea is to introduce a health card worth between 300 and 500 euros to be used for certain health services.
Expenses covered: “Dental visits, medications and co-payments”
The proposal was anticipated in recent days by Maurizio Casasco, deputy and economic manager of Forza Italia, who underlined the need for “direct support for the healthcare costs of the elderly and the frail. Those who need treatment – said Casasco – need money immediately through direct support for health expenses that are not included in the national health system. Dental visits, prostheses, home support, drugs and health tickets or other expenses can be put directly to support the elderly and frail”.
The card should also benefit those pensioners who have a low “Irpef capacity” and are unable to recover health expenses with the classic tax deductions of the following year because they already pay very little tax.
The income threshold is yet to be defined
In any case, the bonus will not be available to everyone, but only to those over 75 under a certain income threshold. However, the limit still remains to be defined. Just as the economic feasibility of the operation, which is far from obvious, will need to be clarified. In short, everything is still up in the air. The idea of a bonus is however preferred to the healthcare cashback option which provides immediate reimbursement of healthcare expenses, but with a tracking and reimbursement system that is much more complex to manage and implement.