The bill would cut and cap prescription drug copayments

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would change the percentages each person pays for pharmacy medicines. It would go from three to six copayment levels for active workers and their beneficiaries, and from three to four for pensioners and their beneficiaries.
2. It would introduce monthly payment caps for active workers earning under €35,000 and for pensioners earning between €18,000 and €60,000. If the cap is exceeded, the regional government must refund the difference within a maximum of six months.
3. Pensioners receiving top-ups for pensions below the legal minimum would be exempt from paying. This replaces the previous fixed income threshold with a rule that updates automatically along with pensions.
4. Pensioners who were already exempt under the previous rules but do not receive the minimum pension top-up would keep their exemption if their annual income is under €5,635, or under €11,200 if they do not file an income tax return. The exemption would also apply to their beneficiaries.
5. The Government would be empowered to issue the rules needed to apply the reform, and the law would take effect the day after its publication in the Official State Gazette.

Who it affects

• Active workers and their beneficiaries: They would have more copayment levels based on income and, if they earn under €35,000 a year, a monthly cap on what they pay.
• Social Security pensioners and their beneficiaries: They would have four copayment levels and monthly caps based on income, with a new cap for incomes between €18,000 and €60,000.
• Pensioners with minimum pensions: They would stop paying anything for their medicines if they receive top-ups for pensions below the legal minimum.
• Pensioners already exempt who do not receive the top-up: They would keep their exemption if their annual income is under €5,635, or under €11,200 if they do not file an income tax return.

Words worth knowing

Copago (copayment)

The share of the medicine's price paid by the patient, with the rest covered by the health system.

Prestación farmacéutica ambulatoria (outpatient pharmaceutical benefit)

Medicines dispensed with a prescription through pharmacies, outside of hospitals.

PVP

Retail sale price, that is, the price of the medicine at the pharmacy.

Base liquidable general y del ahorro (general and savings tax base)

A line on the income tax return showing the income used to calculate the tax; it is used to set the copayment level.

Complementos para pensiones inferiores a la mínima (top-ups for pensions below the minimum)

An amount added to a pension when it falls below the minimum amount set by law.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries