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Tag: financing
Healthcare acts on pharmaceuticals submitted to the negotiation of the Parliament are according to Viliam Novotný not in the interest of patients, but in the interest of lobbyists, profits of pharmaceutical companies and in the interest of the part of pharmacists, who do not want to provide the bonuses. The submitted legislation proposal is according to him missing the analysis of whether the prices of pharmaceuticals will due to the change of referencing decrease, or increase. Novotný, however, claims that pricing proposed by the Ministry of Health will lead to increasing of surcharges for pharmaceuticals for the sick and elderly people.
Increased payments for hospitals were the main topic of negotiations between health insurance companies and the Association of Hospitals in Slovakia. As was told by the member of supervisory board of the Association, Marta Eckhardtová, they were discussing with insurance companies about increasing of payments for this and next year. Most of health insurance companies do not have financial resources for increasing of payments. Beside one health insurance company, all other insurance companies declared that they do not have money. As she continued, the only health insurance company, which has offered the increasing of payments even this year, was Union health insurance company.
State budget approved by Government is, according to the Association of Health Insurance Companies, actually unsustainable. President of the Association, Katarína Kafková, notes that concerns about real fulfilling raises especially because of the payments for state policyholders. Government, according to her, in the next year budget proposes the increasing of payment for state policyholder to 4.25%, but state will in real pay for its policyholders € 70 million less. The reason is that Government expects that number of state policyholders will next year decrease from current 3 350 000 to 3 150 000.
According to Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská, man can be never satisfied with the budget for healthcare system, as there never will be enough money in health care. She, however, considers the final proposal as a success. She managed to negotiate more money for this department through the payments for policyholders. Original proposal calculated on the rate on the level of 4%, finally it should be 4.25% from the tax base.
Slovakia is still threatened by high penalties in two arbitrations and also in domestic courts. Disputes initiated by the owners of private health insurance companies due to ban of the profit are currently being solved by international tribunals. Courts are dealing with € 196 million for shareholders of Union health insurance company and former Apollo health insurance company. Slovak courts are solving also other disputes for totally € 688.8 million of taxpayers' money.
Budget does not count with higher salaries of nurses. Next year for their salaries will be necessary about € 135 million. Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská told nurses that increasing of salaries is unreal. Nurses still believe that in fight for better financial condition they will be able to rely on the act, which guarantees their higher salaries. The act was stopped by the Constitutional Court in July. Nurses have been waiting for moths for its decision. They are, however, not preparing a sharp strike or coercive actions.
New director of University hospital in Bratislava, Miroslav Bdžoch, refuses to disclose the actual amount of the debt of largest hospital. He also does not want to specify, what measures are being prepared for the improving of its financial condition. University hospital in Bratislava has been long-termly the most indebted hospital and each of its bosses failed to change this situation. The actual amount of the debt is, however, for the first time a subject to secrecy.
Increasing of healthcare contributions from next year should, according to the estimation of Ministry of Finance, bring to healthcare system about € 119 million. According to the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Health, the increasing of healthcare contributions represents the implementation of proposals of Government for restoring of public finances in years 2012 – 2013. People will thus pay compared to this year a few euros more on healthcare contributions from the next year.
Compared to this year, people will pay few euros or even tens of euros more on the healthcare contribution from the next year. The reason is changes in calculation of the tax base, which was enforced through the recently approved amendment to the act on social insurance. Government has changed through this amendment the functioning of the pension system. Changes will affect all categories of policyholders, the insurance rates remained unchanged.
Money for increasing of salaries of healthcare professionals in Slovakia are available. Accroding to the former President of Health Comittee, Viliam Novotný, former Government has prepared the sources for covering the higher salaries of doctors and nurses. These money should, according to him, come from higher collection of health insurance, savings through pharmaceutical reform or from € 50 million reserve in state budget. Minister of Health, however, claims that former Government did not ensure any money for increasing of salaries.
