What is changing in social security from now on

«The end of an era» has come for IKA, at least as it was known to its 5mil insured workers. From today, the services to those insured in the organisation are changing radically, as they are disentangled from the requirement for exclusive treatment, examination and prescription inside of IKA and its network of 8.000 doctors, and are given the opportunity to freely choose their own doctor.

Firstly, from today and until next June, the choice of doctor will come from the total of 20.000 affiliated doctors that provide primary health services to professionals and civil servants (OAEE and OPAD are the respective insurance bodies). The visit will be made simply by showing the health booklet while the cost of the medical visit, test or prescription will be borne by the insurer.

But from June onwards, the same care process will continue with greater range in terms of doctors and benefits for members, as it will fully implement the integration of insurance fund health disciplines (IKA, OGA, OPAD, OAEE) and treatment will come under the umbrella of the National Organization of Health Services (EOPYY).

What is changing today for insured workers:

* They can visit all the branches of IKA and be advised by the relevant announcements that have been posted, as to doctors providing primary health care in OAEE and OPAD, who now will serve them.
* Furthermore, they may seek to obtain the personal formulary that will be used from now on for coverage by the network of doctors who will provide them with medical care. According to IKA, the distribution of drug formularies will be completed in the coming weeks.
* Those insured at IKA-ETAM, when visiting the aforementioned doctors at their private practice, must show their insurance booklet. OAEE and OPAD doctors will prescribe in their simple formularies until the distribution of personal formularies is finished.
* Prescriptions will be filled by the pharmacies affiliated with IKA as is the case today. The doctors’ fee will be 20 euros per patient and 10 for re-examination. They will write the name, the registration number and AMKA of the insured, but also the time and date of the examination, all to be confirmed by the patient. The total of these pages will be submitted to IKA at the end of each month and the doctors will receive their fee.

The strike bulletin of the week

Tomorrow, Tuesday, the multi-bill of the Health ministry is being submitted to parliament and it includes all the disputed regulations for the medical and pharmaceutical world. So, the actions of the relevant bodies will be as follows:

* IKA doctors have announced repeatd 24hr strikes until Friday, changing their initial position on a longer-duration strike until the abolition of the bill.
* The representatives of NHS doctors (Federation of Hospital Doctors of Greece and Association of the Athens-Piraeus Hospital Doctors) have announced repeated strikes until the voting on the bill.
* Pharmacists around the country are keeping their stores closed until next Wednesday.