“You can’t tear your pants”: A dispute over compensation for medicines flared up in the Duma
The State Duma of the Russian Federation rejected in the first reading a bill proposed by the A Just Russia faction to establish a maximum level of permissible expenses for a citizen to pay for vital medicines, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The idea of the bill was to compensate citizens for the costs of medicine if they exceed 10% of their income.
“I’m now talking about the category of citizens who receive this notorious minimum wage (minimum wage - ed.) - no bottom, no cover - 12 thousand 700 - and a pension of 12-13 thousand. With this money, at such prices in our pharmacies, how can we ensure the preservation and preservation of life? This constitutional guarantee should be in effect, but these laws do not exist,” said deputy Oleg Nilov, who presented the bill.
United Russia member Alexander Petrov called the project populist.
“The bill allows all segments of the population to receive subsidies, including citizens with high incomes. Well, if we are worried, we must spell out the basic parameters of the law and set boundaries,” Petrov said.
He recalled that A Just Russia, while preparing a law providing for large budget expenditures, did not make appropriate adjustments to the state budget.
“To launch a new system of drug provision for our citizens, we need more than 700 billion rubles. We don't have this money. If we talk about the healthcare budget, in 20 we achieved a historic figure - more than one trillion. There has never been such money. We increased expenses by 45%. It would be impossible to tear your pants at such expenses, because this must be ensured by both the staffing table and the capabilities of industry and construction. The pandemic, I think, will also take about a trillion,” Petrov said.
The Social Revolutionaries rushed to defend their bill.
“There are different diseases and the cost of medicines is different. Some people don’t have enough for citramon, while others don’t have enough for expensive treatment. It is unlikely that this norm will apply to people with high incomes: they will not spend that much money on purchasing medicines. And for the poor, this will be a very necessary norm,” explained Valery Gartung.
He was supported by communist Alexei Kurinny.
“The same Ukraine that we criticize has resolved this issue. It may be clumsy, but I decided,” he said.
“The first reading discusses the concept, the idea. Do not demand legal and technical subtleties from us. You are asked to agree for your loved ones, voters. If you don't like 10%, give it 50%. But there must be a limit. Cancel the budget rule, to hell, and send the money not to the moneybox, but to the people.
Develop the pharmacological industry and make medicines cheap,” Nilov exhorted.
However, in the end, only 96 deputies voted for the bill.
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