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Tag: financing
Health insurance companies will refund to policyholders more co-payments for pharmaceuticals than before. This is the result of the extension of so called "protection limit on co-payments for pharmaceuticals". For first quarter the health insurance companies will refund the co-payments in amount of € 1.4 million to 64 043 policyholders. About two thirds of them are retired, the rest are handicapped. In last quarter of 2011 the amount of €87 592 was refunded to 5 834 people.
Doctors in Krupina city have not been paid from the beginning of the year for their night emergency service. In January they asked local hospital for 50% increase of payments. As they did not make an agreement, 9 out of 10 doctors did not sign the contracts and hospital did not pay them since that time. According to the President of the Association of private doctors Ladislav Pásztor, who represents the discontent doctors, despite this fact doctors are liable for working for private provider. According to the law if the primary care physicians do not enter into night service they could face a fine in amount of €3 000.
Parliament approved increase of state payments for its policyholders, change of risk-adjusted re-distribution of premium and change of solvency criteria of health insurance companies. Premium for state policyholders will increase from July 2012 to 4.32%. This is how the governmental reserve of €50 million will pour into the healthcare system. New predictor will be considered in the risk-adjusted re-distribution among health insurance companies – PCG as the proxy of the chronic illnesses of policyholders.
In several departmental organizations of the Ministry of Health after taking up of new Government number of well-paid positions were cancelled as redundant. According to the director of state emergency service in Bratislava in the times of former management were sequentially added 18 managers – non-health functions, which, however, according to him were not necessary. He informed that wage costs on these positions monthly constituted about € 33 000, what means almost € 400 000 per year.
If the financing of health care should remain next year on the current level and current range of health care should be maintained it would be according to the Minister of Health unsustainable. She accepted that amount of sources for next year depends also on financial condition of the state. As she however highlighted, one thing is the financial condition and the other one are priorities. Ministry is currently trying to continue in savings through pharmaceutical policy, as according to her, the share of finances on pharmaceuticals is still too large.
Company Zentiva Hlohovec has greatly outraged in 2011. Its net profit amounted only € 7.55 million. Year before it was € 54.8, that is seven times less. Revenues were comparable in both years, but production costs, however, last year sharply increased. They increased from € 87 million in 2010 to € 142.8 in 2011. Producer of generics declined to comment on the reasons of the drop in his profit.
Private health insurance company Dôvera considers as unrealistic to introduce new way of reallocation of premium, so called PCG, into the practise as fast, as is proposed in the amendment to the act on health insurance. Money from new reallocation should according to Dôvera come to insurance companies in October. Dôvera pointed out, that given by the experiences from abroad it is unrealistic to handle correct and in time introduction of PCG into practise in Slovakia in one month. Efforts to immediate obtaining of resources in health care department should according to Dôvera not go at the expense of quality of forthcoming legislation.
Representatives of the Association of Hospitals in Slovakia solved with private health insurance companies the conditions of their contracts from June. Dôvera allegedly expressed the willingness to meet halfway all the contract partners of the association with the aim to ensure the health care for its policyholders. Spokeswoman of Union Health Insurance Company, Judita Smatanová, promised that if € 50 million reserve from state budget will be used for increasing of the payments for state policyholders, Union is ready to transform this money into the contracts with health care providers.
Checks in hospitals and outpatient clinics are bringing their results. State General Health Insurance Company (VšZP) thanks to them last year saved more than € 203 million. This amount represents 6.5% from total amount, which this insurance company paid to health care providers in 2011. Compared to previous year the controlling activities brought the largest insurance company 20% greater savings. The assessment is based on the control of fulfilling of applicable laws and standards, contract conditions and correct diagnosis and treatment.
Outpatient doctors welcome that resources from € 50 million reserve in state budget will go also to them. According to the President of the Association of Private Doctors, Ladislav Pásztor, all healthcare providers, i.e. hospitals as well as outpatient clinics, should get € 5 million monthly, while € 5.3 million is needed. Private doctors associated in Zdravita and Slovak Medical Chamber already negotiated with General Health Insurance Company (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa). Supposedly this was an initial negotiation on the new contracts, as the current contracts are valid until June 30th, 2012.
