Nearly 248 billion for health. Budget 2026 will not fill the hole in the system

The outlays planned by the government are higher than the statutory minimum (the so-called 7 percent of GDP health law) by only less than 200 million zlotys, while the percentage the government plans to achieve is 6.81 percent (against the statutory 6.8 percent). Expenditures in Part 46 (at the disposal of the Ministry of Health) have been set at 45 billion 33 million, and are 7 billion 851 million higher than the funds planned for this purpose in the 2025 Budget Law. More than half of the funds are already earmarked for the subject subsidy to the National Health Fund (PLN 26 billion). For the implementation of specialized training, primarily for doctors and dentists at 5.3 billion zlotys/ For education and science, in particular subsidies and grants to medical universities supervised by the Minister of Health - 3.3 billion zlotys. There is also, among other things, money for multi-year investments and investment purchases.

MPs and the social side pointed out during the discussion at the NZ meeting that it was from these items that the Ministry drew "sockpuppets" in 2025 (and also 2024), transferring part of the funds to the NFZ. By the way, the same thing happened with the Medical Fund this year - PLN 4 billion was transferred to the NFZ, and at the moment the Ministry of Health should return these funds (although, according to MPs, work is underway on an amendment to the Medical Fund Law that would cancel this obligation of the ministry to the FM). For 2026, the budget also includes PLN 4 billion for the Medical Fund, but there are questions about whether the health ministry will repeat the maneuver of spring 2025.

At the meeting of the Health Committee, there was a very loud accusation that the health budget for next year is as unrealistic, if not more so, as the one adopted for 2025, which has a gap of PLN 14 billion, in addition, the situation is aggravated by a lower-than-planned premium runoff (the National Health Service estimates that by the end of the year the shortfall after eight months, in the amount of PLN 3.5 billion, will be completely or largely eliminated). This gap the government wants - all signs point to it - to fill gradually (and is unlikely to close it, as the most likely scenario is to roll over some of the obligations to health care providers for the next year). Opposition MPs pointed out that the situation can only get worse next year, since the shortfall of funds in the system for 2026 is already estimated at PLN 23 billion.