the plenary of Chamber of Deputies approved, this Tuesday (11), a bill that should allocate up to R$ 2 billion to Santas Casas and philanthropic hospitals that complement the Health Unic System (SUS).
The text allows the reallocation of funds from health and social assistance funds when they come from federal transfers by states, municipalities and the Federal District until the end of the 2023 financial year. According to the text, these amounts must be applied, in preferably, in the cost of services provided by non-profit private entities that help the work of the SUS in the amount of up to R$ 2 billion.
According to the approved text, the measure aims to “contribute to the economic-financial sustainability of these institutions in maintaining care, without interruption of continuity”.
Only after meeting the preferred purpose – private non-profit entities – will the transferred funds be able to be applied to other purposes in public health actions and services. The expectation of this remaining amount has not been reported so far.
The matter now goes to the Federal Senate for analysis.
It will be up to the Executive to establish the parameters for the definition of the financial assistance to be received by the entity, with the publication of the identification of the corporate name and the registration number in the National Register of Legal Entities (CNPJ) of the private entities, as well as the maximum amount to be be received.
State, district and municipal health funds should also give these points wide publicity. The text also says that the benefited entities must account for the application of resources to their respective health funds.
The receipt of funds does not depend on the possible existence of debts or the payment status of the benefited entities in relation to taxes and contributions. The exception is in the case of legal entity debts with the social security system.
According to the rapporteur, Deputy Antonio Brito (PSD-BA), the remaining balances of the health fund accounts that were created before 2018 must be returned to the Union, so that they can be used as a source of funding for the transfer to private entities without to profit. The amount that exceeds the limit of R$ 2 billion must be transferred again to the states, the Federal District and the municipalities, he said, in the plenary of the Chamber.
The financial balances resulting from extraordinary credits opened by the Union through a provisional measure, including those subject to the so-called “war budget” regime, are exempt from this transposition.
The approval of the text takes place in the midst of attempts by the National Congress to enforce the nursing salary floor, suspended by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) before taking effect, in practice, due to the alleged lack of funding source.
The National Congress had approved the floor for nurses at R$ 4,750, for the public and private sectors. The value still serves as a reference for calculating the minimum salary for nursing technicians (70%), nursing assistants (50%) and midwives (50%).
The project approved this Tuesday by the deputies does not mention the nursing floor, but there are deputies who hope that the resources can bring some tax relief so that Santas Casas and philanthropic hospitals pay the floor, even if provisionally.
Earlier this month, the Senate approved a similar bill with the same source of funds. The senators’ text allows for the transfer of resources stopped in health and social assistance funds, but without the focus on Santas Casas and philanthropic hospitals. The text arrived on Tuesday at the House and is not expected to be voted on.
Source: CNN Brasil
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