"Hungary's President László Sólyom used the presidential veto to reject an act of Parliament that provides the legislative framework for a new health insurance system, recently passed amid much controversy. Sólyom returned the bill to Parliament for reconsideration, news station InfoRádió reported.The scenario is not the worst possible outcome from the point of view of the governing coalition - on the contrary, the President could have appealed to the Constitution Court, a move with entirely unpredictable consequences.
Apparently, Sólyom has not raised serious constitutional concerns and therefore “only" chose to resend the act for reconsideration to Parliament. The latter may be a speedy procedure, as representatives have a right to approve the bill without any amendments. If so, Sólyom will have no option other than to sign the new legislation, which will thus come into effect.
According to the InfoRádió report, Sólyom cited a lack of nationwide public support among the main reasons that prompted him to veto the bill. In the President's view, the positive impact of restructuring plans embodied in the new health insurance bill are not justified either by the success of similar international models, or by impact studies in Hungary. The draft of the execution plan is not yet available either, the President noted.
Opposition leader Fidesz welcomes Sólyom's “astute assessment", according to former Health Minister István Mikola, currently Fidesz's leading healthcare policy expert. Mikola said he was pleased with the fact that Sólyom questioned the success of the entire “so-called healthcare reform", not only the health insurance bill.
The Hungarian Socialist Party finds it a reasonable move that the President asked Parliament to review a bill of such great impact before signing it, President of Parliament's Healthcare Committee Mihály Kökény told the radio station. The party welcomes Sólyom's recent statement that Hungary needs healthcare reform with the involvement of private investors, Kökény added.
Parliament should carefully deliberate Sólyom's concerns, Kökény said. When drafting the bill, the governing parties worked hard to eliminate potential constitutionality concerns, and are pleased with the fact that the President did not raise such issues.
The coalition should seek closer cooperation with trade unions and professional organizations in the process of drafting and execution plan, Kökény added."
Source: Portfolio Online Financial Journal
27.12.2007