After decades of instability, Italian health care system Preparing for a major change. from 30 December 2024, new Ministry of Health Tariff Decree2. Shall update the designations of specialist outpatient and prosthetic services approved by the Conference of State Regions. 28 years of waiting for intervention. for the former and 25 for the latter.
This update, which will cover both the public and approved private sectors, will introduce some new services. freeSubject to other tickets, clarification and extension of required levels of assistance (Lea): In fact there will be 2108 more update services. This provision, the result of cooperation with Mef, represents a revision of the decree already issued on June 23, 2023.
Review Out of 3,171 total services, 1,113 are covered by tariff. With an increase of 550 million euros compared to the 2012 parameters, compared to the 2023 decree, the additional economic impact is 147.3 million, with the aim of more appropriate compensation for public and private operators.
The introduction of these innovations promises to mark a change, but the gap between ambition and reality remains stark. Only a truly effective biennial review, as expected from 2025, will be able to demonstrate whether this mandate truly represents the beginning of a health care system that will eventually be able to meet the needs. .
New rates, old battles
After decades of stagnation, 1,113 out of 3,171 tariffs have been revised, equivalent to 35% of the total: no small feat, given that a An update is expected from 1996. For outpatients And since 1999 For artificial support. Compared to 2012, public resources have increased by 550 million euros, but a comparison with the 2023 decree reveals an additional cost of 147.3 million.
Some regions, such as Lombardy, demand greater tariff flexibility to meet local needs. The decree also provides a Extension of prescriptions issued before December 30 2024, valid for 12 months after implementation, with a possible extension for another six months.
According to the government, this increase should be ensured. Fair remuneration For recognized public and private structures.
However, sector associations are skeptical about the real sustainability of a system that now struggles to balance new investment with chronic structural problems. Underfunding (controversies over health care appropriations in the 2025 budget law are nothing new) and endless waiting lists continue to represent a formidable barrier, leaving many families unable to access services. Access is compromised. Even with the new mandate, the resource problem threatens to turn into a missed opportunity to restore public health.
A new approach to healthcare
The new name arose from an in-depth analysis of data provided by all regions and autonomous provinces, the actual costs of services, the result of collaboration between public and private structures and sector organizations. The result is one. The proposal was approved by the National Tariff Commissionwhich marks a step forward in resource optimization.
On the prosthetics front, innovations are key for people with disabilities: the new price list includes first-time devices such as eye communicators, adaptive keyboards, digital hearing aids, sensors for home automation control and state-of-the-art prosthetics. are Guaranteed services also include advanced voice recognition and eye tracking systems, increasing access to technologies that improve tangible quality of life.
More comprehensive and uniform required levels.
New Order It aims to reduce regional disparities in access to essential levels of aid. (Lea), standardization of health care services in the national territory. The introduction highlights medically assisted reproduction, diagnosis of celiac disease and rare diseases, newborn screening and advanced technologies in radiotherapy, such as hadron therapy and robotic systems. Diagnostic imaging and genetic counseling are also finally finding a more equal distribution.
In the artificial sector, the price list updates the offer with the latest generation digital devices, including advanced hearing aids and home automation control aids. These include communication devices suitable for the most severe disabilities and advanced prostheses equipped with technologies such as voice recognition, significantly improving autonomy and quality of life.
What’s new in 2025: Healthcare that looks to the future.
This order is not just an update but a change in the direction of the health care system. From 2025, a biennial review of tariffs is planned, based on recorded actual costs, to maintain a sustainable balance between costs and benefits, thereby improving public and private service efficiency. But let’s now see in detail what we are talking about and where we can get important news.
Until this year, many of these services were paid entirely by the patient. With the new decree, They are covered by the National Health Service.. They won’t necessarily be free, but those who use them will eventually have to pay just one ticket. Avoiding the full cost of surgery.
Assessment and experts: new frontiers
The introduced services take a leap towards the medicine of the future, focusing on increasingly advanced diagnostics and treatments in the following areas:
- Modern technologies: from enteroscopy to the expansion of newborn screening with an inert micro-camera for non-invasive discoveries, now able to identify pathologies such as SMA.
- Accuracy assessment: Advanced devices for monitoring rare diseases and celiac disease guarantee faster and more reliable tests.
- Pma accessible everywhere: Increases in medical aid become nationally uniform, eliminating regional disparities.
- Advanced radiotherapy: Techniques such as stereotaxy, hadron therapy and robotic radiotherapy have been officially added to the treatment options.
- Celiac disease: Advanced diagnostics for monitoring pathology over time.
- Rare diseases: Target performance for assessment and monitoring.
- Imaging diagnostics: Precision technologies for faster and more reliable results.
- Newborn screening: Expanded to identify new pathologies, such as spinal muscular atrophy.
Prosthetics and AIDS: Towards Greater Autonomy
Prosthetic innovations and aids generally improve the independence and quality of life of people with disabilities:
- Communication devices: Eye contact and adaptive keyboards designed for people with severe motor difficulties.
- Integrated home automation: Sensors and environmental control systems through vision, to make the home a more accessible environment.
- Technologically advanced prostheses: Prosthetics and new generation digital hearing aids are among the fully guaranteed benefits.
- Intelligent assistive technologies: Voice recognition and eye tracking systems that increase communication possibilities for people with severe disabilities.
- Digital hearing aids: Advanced hearing solutions.
