HPI

Government has approved the intention to create one health insurance company managed by the state. The change should occur with or without the approval of the shareholders of private health insurance companies. Detailed proposal of the process is about to be developed by the Ministry of Health by the end of September. According to the Prime Minister, Robert Fico, the new system could become operational from January 2014. Ministry of Health for now considers three various ways how to implement its plan.

Ministry of Health proposes to include into the terminal network of hospitals totaly 34 hospitals and 2 medical institutions. Concept of terminal network of hospitals in Slovakia will be renewed from October. Network should include 8 institutions from Bratislava region, 7 from Košice region and 6 from Banská Bystrica region. Nitra and Žilina region will have both 4 institutions included, Prešov region will have 3 and Trnava and Trenčín 2 institutions included.

According to the former Minister of Health, Ivan Uhliarik, it is unbelievable, what has happened in the case of act on minimum wage claims of nurses and midwives. Nurses according to him deserve higher salaries, act was approved by 141 members of Parliament and afterwards the former President of Slovak Medical Chamber and current adviser of Prime Minister, Milan Dragula, has proposed to the General Prosecutor to be turned to Constitutional Court. Uhliarik declared that he fully supports the protest of nurses.

Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) has submitted another initiative to the Healthcare Surveillance Authority for the unfair recruitment of policyholders. Policyholder of Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa was requested by alleged employees of insurance company Union, who have falsely informed her about the end of other insurance companies and defined Union as health insurance company, where she should be insured. According to its spokeswoman Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa in these days experienced also several further cases of unfair recruitment of policyholders. 

Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská plans to introduce the intention of implementation of unific health insurance system on today's meeting of Government. There are several legislation possibilities for the creation of one health insurance company in Slovakia. Members of Government should today also nominate new President of Healthcare Surveillance Authority. Current President Ján Gajdoš gave up this function.

Ministry of Health has already submitted to Government its intention to create one health insurance company. This material outlines various ways how this change could take place. It does not, however, indicate how much might this transaction cost. It talks only about “reasonable compensation”, which the shareholders of private health insurance companies should get. According to the spokeswoman of the Minister, Zuzana Čižmáriková, the deeper analysis will follow after approving of initial material by the Government.

Nurses are asking the members of Parliament and Government for crisis scenario for the case, if the Constitutional Court declared the act on their wages as unconstitutional or would decide on this legal standard for too long. This requirement was today interpreted on the meeting of Parliamentary Health Committee by the President of the Trade Union of Nurses and Midwives, Viliam Záborský. Representatives of nurses are also asking for immediate legislation measures, which will stop the employers by dividing of the duties of nurses to nurses and administrative stuff.

Healthcare Surveillance Authority on the base of data from health insurance companies pre-registered by the end of June totally 111 803 applications for the change of insurance company from next year. Health insurance company can be changed only once a year. If the policyholder wants to change the insurance company from January 1, 2013, an application must be submitted by the September 30, 2012. Last year totally 162 399 applications were submitted, of which 5 068 was not accepted by the Authority due to various errors. 

Ministry of Health has prepared an analysis of how the Government could create one insurance company. Material talks about three ways how the state could create one insurance company. First one is the leasing of insurance stock. Shareholders would thus still own the insurance companies, but state would make the decisions. Second is purchasing of shares or specific assets. If the negotiation on purchasing failed, ministry admits also the expropriation.

Control in the hospitals and outpatient clinics is saving health insurance companies an appreciable resources. In 2011 it was € 237 million for all three health insurance companies together. Compared to previous year the financial effect from controlling activity reached the increasing by almost € 69 million. For all that, lower number of employees of health insurance companies than in previous years was needed for their controls.