Tag: financing

Debt of medical facilities on unpaid premiums to the Social Insurance Company reached at the end of February 55.1 million euros. Compared to the end of 2012, there was an increase in receivables of € 6.4 million. Debts of facilities in the scope of Ministry of Health represented at end of the February more than 56.2 per cent of total assets, i.e. 31 million euros. Compared to January, the debts increased by more than 2.5 million euros. Transformed medical facilities have debt of € 24.1 million. Compared with the previous month, receivables of these medical facilities increased by almost 700.000 euros.

Staff members of hospital who owe to Social Insurance Company on outstanding contributions do not have to be worried. According to spokesman of Social Insurance Company, they are entitled to a benefit from Social Security even if the employer unpaid the premiums.

DRG system, more transparent and equitable system of hospital payments, should work in 2016. Since April the Healthcare Surveillance Authority will start to train people. Training of nearly 3.200 people wants to catch by the end of next year. Trainings will cost more than seven million euros and should be paid mainly from EU funds. Eight people have been already trained in Germany, in a country whose DRG model we assume. The model will cost 1.4 million euros. The introduction of the new system is perceived positively by several hospitals and health insurance companies.

Materials for teaching health professionals who will be responsible for the launch of a new system of financing hospitals in practice are ready. However, the legislation is still lacking. Without it, according to the President of Healthcare Surveillance Authority Monika Pažinková, it cannot start.

Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenska wants the public hospitals were in balanced economy in 2015. Ministry of Health wants to erase debts in next two years in its 13 facilities – the big university and teaching hospitals. Late last year, these hospitals owed ​​about 320 million euros. Half of this amount consisted of overdue liabilities. How long hospitals pay invoices, the ministry does not know. Suppliers complain about long, even several years repayment period. Ministry wants to make hospitals align their management especially by layoffs, buying cheaper medicines, reducing operating costs and increase the charges.

Reducing the loss of public hospitals began Ministry of Health already last. Loss of 156 million euros, according to Minister Zvolenska, hospitals cut to 116 million last year.

Debt of medical facilities to the Social Insurance Company on unpaid premiums reached 48.7 million euros at the end of 2012. Compared to November 2012, there was a decrease in account receivables of € 6.8 million. According to the Social Insurance Company, debt has annually increased of 29.9 million euros.

At the end of 2012, debt of facilities managed by the Ministry of Health accounted more than 53 % of total assets, i.e. € 25.8 million.

State hospitals were forced by government to pay its debts to the Social Insurance Company at the end of last year. Together five medical facilities have paid 10.4 million euros. Two months later, again generated a loss and to Social Insurance Company owes even more.

The biggest problems have hospitals managed by county. Up to 15 hospitals in the scope of regions is drowning in debt. At the end of 2012, their debts on contributions to Social Insurance Company amounted to more than € 22 million, what is half of all hospital debts.

Price of pharmaceuticals in Slovakia will be not higher than the average of three lowest prices in the European Union. This principle is also related to medical devices and dietary supplements. This stems from an amendment to the Act on pharmaceuticals signed by President Ivan Gašparovič. Currently, the maximum price can not exceed the second lowest price in the European Union. Before that, prices were set by comparison of six lowest prices in Union. The aim of the amendment is introduction of more equitable method of pricing of pharmaceuticals considering prices of other Member States and exchange rate changes.

If patient visits private doctor, who has contract with the health insurance companies, health care should be provide for free. Fee may doctor ask for priority treatment. Doctors, however, have to ask the self-governing region for approval of the fee that will be charged to the patient. Region also decides on the maximum amount of the fee, which is different per each higher territorial unit. According to the president of the Association of Private Doctors Ladislav Pasztor, the highest fee for priority treatment is in the Žilina´s region (€ 25), while in Trenčin region is it € 3.32. The doctor may ask for direct payment also for administrative procedures.

General Health Insurance Company (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa) will end this year with a profit of about € 25 million. Compared to 2011, is it almost of 20 million more. This year's expected savings was influenced by new way of allocating premiums as well as its rigorous exaction by executors. State insurance company, which policyholders are the most ill, thanks to a new redistribution of premiums collect monthly nearly four million euros more than in past. Profits at the end of the year except also private health insurance companies Union and Dôvera. They did not tell their estimates.

Health care in Slovakia have become familiar with receiving additional state funding packages in recent years to avert its financial collapse. At program Veriteľ hospitals did not have repay the so-called Raši loan. Former Minister of Health Uhliarik´s preparation of hospitals to transformation into joint stock companies has required € 300 million extras. Increased salaries were also support from the government reserve. Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenska says that except the contribution from health insurance companies will not be any additional resources. In coming years, to unsystematic external financing will state have no resources.  

Continuing lawsuits with shareholders of Union Health Insurance Company may come too expensive for Slovakia. The government wants to get this case on the European Court of Justice, as the state failed on arbitration in the case ban on profit and Slovakia has to pay € 22 million. The European Court of Justice may, however, levy a much higher fine. According to Martin Kluch of the law firm Hamala Kluch Víglaský, force the dispute further may involve that the state ultimately lose much more money. He considered the current verdict as a partial victory for Slovakia, as a shareholder of the Union, the Dutch company Achmea, demanded as compensation more than 100 million euros.

If Slovakia would not succeed at domestic and arbitration courts, the state would have to pay the provisions of shareholders of health insurance companies almost € 750 million. That would be a bill for a Fico´s first government Act, which banned the profits to the shareholders. Slovakia has lost only one arbitration with the owner of the Health Insurance Company Union - Achmea company till now. Slovakia has to pay as compensation € 22 million and € 3 million for court costs. Together with the payments for advisory services of lawyers, the amount rises to more than € 40 million. Achmea originally asked for more than € 60 million, but the arbitral court admitted to Achmea € 20 milion.