With the omnibus bill, a debt relief is coming for GSS premium debts! This GSS relief allows people who are not affiliated with institutions such as the Pension Fund (Emekli Sandığı), BAĞ-KUR or SSK to access healthcare services for free. So, will there be amnesty for GSS premium debts, who will the GSS relief cover, and how much debt reduction will be applied to whom? GSS applies to everyone over 18 who is not a student.
What Is General Health Insurance?
Before asking whether there will be amnesty for GSS premium debts, let’s review what GSS is. General Health Insurance is available to everyone who is 18 or older, not a student, and not already covered by another social security institution. An application is required to access General Health Insurance, after which an income test is conducted. Citizens who do not take the income test or who do not declare their student status are assessed a monthly debt of 240 TL. Those who register for General Health Insurance but delay payments may also face interruptions in health services. So, will there be amnesty for GSS premium debts?
Is Debt Relief Coming for GSS Premiums?
Certain discounts and relief measures are being introduced for those who have accumulated debts under General Health Insurance and face difficulties in payment, provided they meet specific conditions. With the omnibus bill passed in December 2012, relief measures were introduced for GSS premium debts. The government had expected to collect nearly one billion in revenues from this program but actually collected only about 300 million. Approximately 8 billion in debt was left off the books because citizens were in hardship; these forgiven amounts have been reflected as debt relief or reductions for those individuals. Nearly 4 million people have made payments.
Opportunities include taking an income test and having up to 50% of late payment interest waived. Additionally, debts can be spread over payment plans with terms such as 18-month installments and options extending up to 36 months, allowing further relief for GSS premium debts.