The Catalonian government has started a new round of talks with Spanish regional governments in an effort to gain backing for its proposal to require emergency room copays. Their administration is talking about a 25-euro copay for every emergency room visit. The measure has two goals.
The first goal is pure economic gain. A visit to the emergency room costs 140 euro compared to 80 euros at a primary care physician, and this is the cost for everyone each time a patient goes to the emergency room for a simple cold or ailment. The copay measure will create significant savings in the healthcare system. Still, the decision is complex, because healthcare is the most important social service for citizens. Copays will reduce unnecessary spending, especially in countries such as Spain, which is used to cheap and easy access to prescription drugs. The Catalonian government's goal is to create a common system with other regional governments in order to avoid what happened with the "one euro prescription" measure that was nixed because it was unconstitutional. The problem is that under current circumstances, the model will be unsustainable without controlling spending.
Still, we shouldn't forget one critical fact. The government has made it clear that the cutbacks will happen through revenues. In other words, it will levy new taxes on citizens instead of shaving its own expenses. The Spanish economy needs a public sector that's efficient, sustainable and nimble instead of one that sucks the life out of its people and companies.
