[Changes of drug reimbursement expenses incurred by National Health Fund in Silesian voivodeship in the period of 1999-2004]. / Zmiany wydatków na leki refundowane, ponoszonych przez Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia w województwie slaskim w latach 1999-2004.

The new healthcare financing system that was implemented in 1999 finished the existence of the budgetary financing system and made the switch to insurance system. Since the very beginning of the new system expenses of drug reimbursement constituted a substantial part of healthcare services costs in all regions of Poland. Simultaneously, owing to the lack of possibility to control these costs, reimbursement expense was one of least predictable points of Sickness Funds budgets. Since 1999, in Silesian voivodeship, sales volume of reimbursed drugs increased as well as total financial burden of reimbursement. In the surveyed years an amount of money paid by insurer (sickness funds, National Health Fund) to one pack of reimbursed drug increased. Volume of consumed packs of drugs and real value of reimbursement per voivodeship citizen rose as well. In 2002 and 2003 patients' uncertainty regarding composition of new reimbursement lists promoted increase in drug sales, what in a consequence gave a substantial rise in reimbursement costs.