Opposition Párbeszéd protests against new social benefits law

The opposition Párbeszéd party on Monday staged a protest at the president’s office against a new law tightening social benefit rules.

The law passed last week rolls pensions, health-care, labour-market and in-kind contributions into one from next year. Under the new law, private individuals who do not pay health insurance for three consecutive months will be barred from making use of state health-care services.

At the protest,

Párbeszéd lawmaker Bence Tordai called the law “shameful and inhumane”.

More than a million Hungarian citizens are at risk of losing eligibility to state health-care services, he said, adding that every ninth citizen may end up only receiving emergency care on condition it is paid for in advance.

Tordai said

people most at risk were the poorest unable to pay for health-care services, leading to irreversible illness.

The Hungarian Chamber of Doctors and trade union federation MASZSZ, alongside Párbeszed, have asked President János Áder not to sign the law and return it to parliament for a review. Read more HERE.

At the protest, Párbeszéd placed a coffin in front of the president’s office.

Source: mti