Draft law amending the Family Benefits Act and other laws (507 SE) - third reading
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 4th session, plenary sitting
Date: 2024-11-20 16:31
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 10
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 19m
AI Summaries: 10/10 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The sixth agenda item concerned the third reading of the draft law amending the Family Benefits Act and other laws, initiated by the Republic's Government, 507. The central substantive change to the draft is the redistribution of healthcare costs: the specialist visit fee will rise from 5 euros to 20 euros, and this increase will primarily apply to vulnerable groups (recipients of subsistence support, children under 19, and the unemployed), but exceptions will be eliminated and the visit fee for two-year-old children and pregnant women will remain at 5 euros. Additionally, hospital bed day charges and prescription fees will increase: the bed day charge will rise from 2.50 euros to 5 euros, and the patient's contribution for a prescription will increase from 2 euros to 3.50 euros. However, the primary and most striking change is that the state will cease paying social tax to the parent who chooses home childcare – this will result in a loss of health insurance coverage for them. These changes highlight significant financial burdens and greater restrictions on access to medical care, consistent with the slogans "In Safe Hands," "A Better-Protected Estonia," and "Years Lived in Health," but criticism has been raised regarding the maximum involvement of out-of-pocket expenses in healthcare. The debate focused on the effects of this draft law on access to specialist medical care, the role of family doctors, and a broader demographic and social impact analysis, emphasizing that rushed decisions may significantly affect people's healthcare opportunities. Discussions also continued regarding how much taxes and tax exemptions influence the demographic behavior and quality of life of families, and whether the reforms will lead to the desired "years lived in health." Finally, the draft law was put to a final vote and passed.
Decisions Made 1
Bill 507 final vote: the bill has been adopted. Voting results: 52 members of the Riigikogu voted in favor, 23 voted against, 0 abstained. The bill has been adopted as a law.
Most Active Speaker
The most active speaker was Aivar Kokk (Isamaa faction), who spoke three times and represented critical viewpoints from a right-wing position regarding the content and impact of the bill. He is a representative of the Isamaa faction and is classified as a politician belonging to the right-wing political bloc.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi opens the discussion on the third reading of the Family Benefits Act draft, bill 507, within the framework of six agenda items, and Kert Kingo speaks on behalf of the EKRE faction.
Kert Kingo
AI Summary
This bill will increase the costs of specialist care and hospital care (visit fee, bed-day fee, prescription fee), makes two-year-old children and pregnant women taxpayers, and ends the payment of social tax for the parent who raises a child at home, which leaves many people without health insurance and worsens access to healthcare — the Estonian Conservative People's Party cannot support this.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Aivar Kokk speaks on behalf of the Isamaa faction and thanks the listeners.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk described the coalition's draft bill as a taking away from the weaker, seeing planned tax and family-benefit cuts (an increase in value-added tax and income tax, excises, higher co-pay for prescriptions, a visit fee, a bed-day fee, and restrictions on maternity pay) and promised that Isamaa would vote against.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi expresses great gratitude and represents the Estonian Centre Party faction in prayer on behalf of Lauri Laats.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats describes this draft as a kobarkäkkku, whose wide-ranging impact touches all people and whose financial burden— a fourfold increase in the specialist-care visit fee up to 20 euros, a large increase in the prescription fee, and a bed-day fee— has been undertaken hastily without a thorough impact assessment and a development plan.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi asked for three more minutes.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats criticizes the bill, which, in the case of a stay-at-home-parent family model, would remove state health insurance or require a monthly payment of 238.2 euros, and emphasizes that such a cold attitude in a demographic crisis is unacceptable.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi ended the negotiations, announced that the steering committee's proposal is to bring Bill 507 to a final vote, and asked to prepare the vote, to obtain colleagues' positions, and to vote.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The Riigikogu voted in favor of Bill 507 by 52 votes to 23, with 0 abstentions, and the bill was enacted into law.