About 720,000 freelancers and farmers who have not repaid their debts to the state social insurance system EFKA are at risk of being left without health care, as the government, with an amendment to be presented in parliament next week by Labor Minister Domna Mihailidou, does not give them any additional time.
The amendment, which will also include some exceptions for special categories, concerns health care, which after February 29 will only apply to those who have paid off their debts.
The amendment, according to the publication Απογευματινή, will exempt from this obligation minor children of disabled people, as well as freelancers and farmers working in areas affected by natural disasters.
The amendment provides that the condition for maintaining the insurance capacity of self-employed persons and for them to receive full medical coverage in the period from March 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025 is that they repay the outstanding contributions either by payment or by payment in fixed installments (12 or 24).
According to EFKA, of approximately 1,200,000 freelancers, farmers and self-employed persons, only 450,000 pay their contributions on time. The rest either pay intermittently or, when they need insurance, pay off the debt in one or two installments and then drop out of the program.
As justification, many of the debtors and refuseniks claim that With the current level and quality of public health insurance services, they do not see any point in paying rather hefty premiumschoosing either private health insurance or paying private doctors as needed.
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