[size=75:2xu173ax]novinite 1 February 2010

Bulgarian Citizens May Check Health Payment Status Online

Bulgarian citizens now have free online access to the National Revenue Agency (NRA) dedicated web site at [url=http:
//www.
nap.
bg,:2xu173ax][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] beginning on February 1.

After accessing the NRA site, the user is re-directed to the specific health payments check facility, at [url=https:
//inetdec.
nra.
bg/:2xu173ax][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This initiative allows Bulgarian citizens to check on the status of their health insurance payments, according to the announcement made by NRA on Monday.

Until now, citizens were able to retrieve their data through the information system of the National Insurance Institute. The procedure remains the same - access is gained by entering the Civil Code number and a spam-control code.

NRA plans to allow all interested institutions to display a link to the new electronic service on their own sites.

Within a month NRA will also provide an automated service through its information center;
by entering their civil code number on a phone keypad, citizens will be able to check their status.

If the person’s health rights have been suspended, repayment of outstanding instalments will be required to regain them. However, the change will be posted on the internet only after a week.

Thus, if a person needs urgent medical help and wants to use his health rights earlier than the week in which he has recovered them, he will have to request a special certificate from the tax office.

This year's current minimum payment for self-insured health is BGN 16,80 and not BGN 10,40 as before.

Changes to legislation introduced in January meant that up to 380 000 self-insured Bulgarians lost their health rights, as confirmed some days ago by the NRA.

Until the recent changes, the only people excluded from the healthcare system were those who had failed to make at least three payments within one year.

Currently, exclusion is extended to persons who have a shortfall of three unpaid instalments over the past three years.

February 1 also marks the last date where self-insured citizens could choose between contributing only to the pension fund or to the "
General Sickness and Maternity"
fund. The option they have chosen will remain valid throughout the year.