Voting on the Services Directive, the UEHP is fully against the Amendment 233
Dear Mrs. Roithova MEP,
Concerning the voting on the Services Directive, the European Union of Private Hospitals is fully against the Amendment 233.
We believe that excluding the public health sector from the scope of the directive while including the private one is a serious risk.
The system of Hospitals in Europe is quite varied: in countries like Italy, France, Germany and in England since last year, the private sector is at the same level as the public one. Patients are free to chose between a public and a private hospital and in both cases they do not pay anything. Therefore, if the Amendment will pass, we will have in those countries a system where the private sector will have to respect the rules of competition but the public one will not be subject to it, while they would still remain in a situation of competition. This would be disastrous for the private sector, already in a disadvantaged position with respect to the public sector since the reform of public state aids on the Art. 86, allowing public hospitals to receive any amount of money without limitation.
Concerning the Amendment 233, We do not know how, in this case, it would be decided and until what point the different private domains would be included or not. Concretely we wonder if only the private insurance would be considered, or if it is the entire health care sector that would be included? How exactly will we define what is a health private care and what is not?
Considering all of the above and also taking in considerations the doubts of European Commission officials who are not convinced about the liberalisation of private health only, I would kindly ask you to take into account our arguments.
Best regards,
Max Ponseillé (President)
Paolo Giordano (General Delegate)