Green Light For New €1,500 Psychology Voucher With More Funds And Wider Eligibility

Applications for Italy’s caller “psychology voucher” opened, offering up to €1,500 successful support and expected to use astatine slightest 8,000 people.

The scheme, aimed astatine providing financial thief for psychological therapy, follows nan resumption of nan waiting database from April 15 for those who had applied successful 2024. At that point, €5 cardinal successful nationalist resources still had to beryllium transferred from nan regions to nan National Social Security Institute (INPS).

Now, a caller backing information has been unlocked. The State-Regions Conference has approved nan decree allocating resources for 2024 and 2025 – €12 cardinal and €9.5 cardinal respectively – signed by Health Minister Orazio Schillaci. At nan extremity of July, Schillaci urged location leaders to velocity up bureaucracy, describing nan business arsenic “urgent”.

Delays person plagued nan measurement since its motorboat successful 2022. Resources for 2023 were only distributed successful 2024, and galore therapists had to hold much than a twelvemonth for reimbursement. More than 1,300 psychotherapists person since withdrawn from nan INPS programme, fearing further delays. The decree now introduces measures to velocity up some procedures and payments, pinch nan purpose of delivering reimbursements wrong a fewer months.

Despite nan progress, location are concerns astir whether costs for some years tin beryllium managed successful 1 block. Resources allocated for 2024 could beryllium exhausted earlier December, pinch those earmarked for 2025 apt to beryllium utilized astatine nan opening of 2026. Once published successful nan Official Gazette – expected wrong 2 to 3 weeks – nan decree will administer costs to nan regions, 70 per cent based connected wellness needs and 30 per cent connected income levels. INPS will past reopen nan exertion portal, giving astatine slightest 30 days’ announcement and allowing for a minimum 60-day exertion period.

The voucher is only disposable to residents successful Italy and nan magnitude depends connected income (ISEE). Those earning nether €15,000 tin person up to €1,500; betwixt €15,000 and €30,000 up to €1,000; and betwixt €30,000 and €50,000 up to €500. In practice, however, backing has often only covered applicants beneath nan €15,000 threshold. Each eligible individual tin declare €50 per convention for up to 30 sessions.

Between summertime 2024 and April this year, astir 6,600 vouchers were distributed. This information is expected to scope astatine slightest 8,000 beneficiaries pinch 2024 resources alone, while nan €9.5 cardinal for 2025 could supply different 6,000.

Maria Antonietta Gulino, nan recently appointed president of nan Psychologists’ Association, welcomed nan decision, calling it “a affirmative awesome that recognises nan value of psychological wellbeing”. But she besides stressed that nan voucher remains a impermanent solution: “Safeguarding intelligence wellness requires a stable, continuous, and system system.”

Lawmakers are now moving connected a broader betterment to present a imperishable “primary attraction psychologist”. Plans envisage 1 scientist for each 4 to 7 wide practitioners aliases paediatricians, pinch backing of astir €90 cardinal to beryllium included successful nan 2026 budget.