Cost-sharing: Procedures and specialist visits can be prescribed either by a GP or by a specialist. Since 1993, patients have paid for the total cost per prescription up to a ceiling determined by law—currently, the ceiling stands at €36.15. Therefore, a patient who receives two separate prescriptions (e.g., a magnetic resonance imaging scan and a laboratory test) after a visit has to pay the first €36.15 for each prescription. To address rising public debt, in July 2011, the government introduced, along with other economic initiatives, an additional €10 copayment for each prescription. Copayments have also been applied to outpatient drugs at the regional level and, since 2007, a €25 copayment has been introduced for the “unwarranted” use of emergency services—that is, instances deemed to be noncritical and nonurgent (although some regions have not enforced this copayment). Public providers, and private providers under a contractual agreement with the SSN, are not allowed to charge above the scheduled fees.