Over 70,000 elderly people in Iași left without health insurance following legislative changes

A worrying situation is emerging in Iași County, where over 71,000 people have lost their health insurance following legislative changes to the status of co-insured dependants. A significant proportion of those affected are elderly people who relied on their partner's insurance policy to access medical services.

Official data paint a stark picture: of the county's total population of 760,774, only 689,403 people retain medical coverage as of the end of November. This gap — representing roughly 10% of the population — falls particularly hard on older people with no income of their own, who had previously held co-insured status through an employed spouse.

The impact on the healthcare system has been felt immediately, especially at Accident and Emergency units (UPU), where access is not contingent on insurance status. Doctors estimate that approximately 30% of patients presenting at A&E have no medical insurance, opting to bypass contribution payments by going directly to emergency services.

The strain on the system is borne out by recent figures: in a single shift at the start of the year, UPU Iași recorded 278 patients, while 572 ambulance calls were handled within 24 hours — nearly double the usual average. Doctors report a significant rise in respiratory cases, ranging from mild presentations to serious conditions requiring intensive care.

To remain within the public health system, former co-insured individuals must submit a tax declaration to ANAF (the National Agency for Fiscal Administration) and pay an annual contribution of 2,430 RON for 2026. This sum represents 10% of a calculation base equivalent to six gross minimum wages and secures access to medical services for a full year.

In practice, however, only a small fraction of those affected have taken this step. Of the more than 26,000 people who lost their insured status, just 3,835 paid the individual contribution in the first month, with the remainder left outside the social protection system.

This situation places enormous pressure on families with elderly members, who must either absorb unexpected medical costs or find alternative arrangements for their care. Many are choosing to postpone routine medical appointments, which risks allowing existing health problems to worsen and generating far greater costs in the long run.

Public health specialists warn that this measure will have lasting consequences for the health of vulnerable groups, particularly older people who require regular medical attention. Overburdening emergency services risks lowering the quality of care for all patients and causing delays in treating genuinely urgent cases.