Following the publication of the first draft of the Manoeuvre, a debate between the majority and the opposition erupted, confusing insiders and public opinion: on the one hand, the Government claimed massive health funding that would have reached the "never seen" figure of 136 billion, while the opposition protested alleged cuts aimed at privatizing healthcare. "On the basis of the stamped text of the 2024 Budget Law and the technical report (RT) - says Nino Cartabellotta, president of the GIMBE Foundation, which promotes and carries out training and research activities in the health sector - we have carried out an independent analysis on health funding in order to inform political debate and public debate in view of the discussion in the chamber on the Maneuver" . The analysis was presented to the 5th Senate Budget Committee in response to an official request. The report estimates that national health needs will rise by €3 billion in 2024, €4 billion in 2025, and €4.2 billion in 2026. As a result, the NSF is expected to increase to €134 billion in 2024, €135.4 billion in 2025, and €135.6 billion in 2026 (Figure 1). "If, in absolute terms, the net increase in the NSF in 2024 is clear," Cartabellotta says, "there is no prospect of any progressive revival of public funding for public health." In fact, the predicted gains in 2025 (+1%) and 2026 (+0.15%) are so modest that they will not even cover inflation or increases in the prices of goods and services." In other words, the Manoeuvre only verifies the NaDEF 2023 health spending predictions, which forecast a drop in the health expenditure/GDP ratio from 6.6% in 2023 to 6.1% in 2026.
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