Italian health cost alarm "unjustified"

A new gap is opening up between government regional health spendingallocations in Italy and actual health care spending. This gap in the budget deficit is estimated at some 3,100 billion lire ($1.44 billion), and concern has been expressed about this by the heads of Italy's regions at a health care forum in Cernobbio.

The main worry is what is described as an "explosion" in drug spending, according to Enzo Ghigo, president of the Italian regions' organization, the CdR. Mr Ghigo said extra drug costs in 2001 would be around 4,800 billion lire, compared with the 1,700 billion lire allocated under budget legislation to offset the abolition of the "ticket," under which Italian patients contribute to the cost of their drugs.

The regional authorities are facing reduced income from the abolition of the ticket and are calling for a revamping of the system in order to make reimbursable health spending more transparent.