Psychologist bonus, go-ahead in commission: here’s how it will work

Deleted from the budget law and reintroduced in the deadline extension, the so-called “milleproroghe”. The psychologist bonus in the end it passed in the night between 16 and 17 February, with a go-ahead from the joint Constitutional Affairs and Budget Committees of the Chamber and thanks in particular to the commitment of the deputy PD Filippo Sensi. Obviously, the final passage of the provision in the courtroom but the agreement of the parliamentary groups should not jeopardize its stability. The initial dowry is 20 million euros: 10 will go to strengthen the existing structures, as many to finance a contribution that can reach up to 600 euros per year to spend in 2022. To deal with the psychological distresswhich has grown enormously over the two years of the pandemic.

Citizens will be able to access it without distinction of age, after medical prescription And diagnosis of discomfort. It will be recognized proportionally, as happens with many benefits, depending on the Isee threshold, the indicator of the economic situation that can be calculated by yourself or through a tax assistance center. The roof is attached to 50 thousand euros, 10 thousand more than the threshold of the single family allowance (after which only 50 euros per month are awarded). “There are 20 million euros that will go to the structures of the extraordinary national health service and to citizens who are not left alone in the face of the dark side, the psychological one, of the pandemic” wrote Sensi on his Instagram profile announcing the green light on the ‘amendment.

Half of the funds, as mentioned, will go to strengthening of the health service structures to facilitate access to psychology and psychotherapy services. A little oxygen in particular for “services for neuropsychiatry for childhood and adolescence”, to “enhance the health and social care assistance to people with mental disorders”. The other half of the dowry will instead be used to finance this bonus, a kind of voucher that can be spent «to support the expenses related to psychotherapy sessions usable by private specialists regularly enrolled in the register of psychotherapists “. The specific methods of assignment and reimbursement will be established within thirty days with a decree of the Minister of Health. A comparison with professional associations will probably also be needed.

But what is the logic of the contribution? According to the amendment, “on the assumption that a minimum fee for a psychotherapy session at a private specialist is around 50 euros, each contribution will correspond to an indicative reimbursement of 600 euros (50 euros for 12 sessions) and , therefore, the overall funding envisaged would make it possible to satisfy an approximate audience of 16 thousand subjects “. A lot, a little? Certainly a first step, especially when seen together with a limited but important intervention on the structural front.

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Source: Vanity Fair

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