As stated in the previous response, the need for and timing of further updates the NHI costing model will be determined by practical progress with NHI, spending patterns, and the timing of the legislative process. Further cost modelling will need to be informed by further development of the NHI benefit package, healthcare utilization trends and projections, and unit costs. However, the cost model will not automatically translate into budget allocations as these would have to be made as part of the budget process which will take into account the macro-economic environment and fiscal space. We agree that inflationary pressures and effects of COVID-19 are important considerations. It is difficult to give a blanket commitment that any implementation of NHI will not come into operation without further detailed modeling. However, it is likely that a set of gradual, transitional reforms will require more detailed costing in order to assess budget requirements, as opposed to the full national implications of NHI as envisaged in the NHI Bill, which will almost certainly require a major updating of the existing and other cost models. Note that the NHI Bill is still in Parliament and the 2022 MTBPS emphasises that budget allocations in Budget 2023 are more likely to focus on fixing budgetary gaps that emerged after the economic slowdown due to COVID-19 and addressing service backlogs and is unlikely to have a substantial focus on NHI.