(Finance) – According to the Bill on the 2025 Budget, the National Health Fund (FSN) will reach 136,533 million euros in 2025, 140,595 million in 2026 and 141,131 million in 2027. “However – he underlined Nino Paper chartPresident of Foundation GIMBE – the resources, mainly intended for staff contract renewals, will not allow the implementation of the extraordinary plan for hiring doctors and nurses strongly desired by Minister Schillaci, nor the elimination of the spending cap for healthcare personnel, contrary to what is foreseen by the Legislative Decree Liste of waiting. The update of the tariffs for acute and post-acute services is positive, but only starting from 2026, while the limited resources allocated to updating the LEAs risk further delaying the collectability of specialist outpatient and prosthetic services”.
Faced with the swirl of numbers, often presented and interpreted in a subjective way or even exploited, the GIMBE Foundation conducted aindependent analysis on the funding allocated by the Budget to healthcare, in order to provide objective, transparent and useful information to inform political discussion and public debate in view of the parliamentary discussion on the Budget.
According to the 2025 Budget Law, the FSN in 2025 will grow by 2,520 million euros (+1.9%), of which 1,302 million are new allocations and 1,218 million already allocated by the previous budget. “However the mode with which they are presented in the art. 47 the amounts for the following years – explained Cartabellotta – are misleading: the 5,078 million for 2026, 5,780 million for 2027 and the figures up to 2030 in fact indicate thecumulative increase of the FSN and not the specific allocations for each year”.
The increases effective envisaged by the Budget are: 4,062 million in 2026 (+3%), 536 million in 2027 (+0.4%), 883 million in 2028 (+0.6%), 1,062 million in 2029 (+0.7%) and 1,173 million from 2030 (+0.8%) (table 1). “Consequently – comments the President – the Maneuver, despite the announcements, does not envisage any progressive relaunch of the FSN, leaving the National Health Service (SSN) with resources insufficient to address the growing needs of citizens and professionals”. The FSN trend maintains the consolidated trend until 2026, and then returns to the levels of the pre-pandemic period.
Furthermore, a portion of the incremental resources, equal to 883 million for 2028, 1,945 million for 2029 and €3,117 million starting from the year 2030, will have to be set aside for the contract renewals relating to the period 2028-2030. Similarly, 928 million for 2026, 478 million for 2027 and 528 million starting from 2028 are intended to increase the resources allocated to achieving the goals healthcare of a priority nature and of national importance.
“Once again – concluded Cartabellotta – the Budget Law it betrays the legitimate expectations of health professionals and citizens, currently faced with an NHS that is struggling to respond to the health needs of the population. Above all due to the progressive shortage of staff, especially nursing staff, who are experiencing an unprecedented season of demotivation and disaffection for public health”.