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Tag: financing
Patients taking pharmaceuticals for elevated cholesterol levels, osteoporosis or prescribed antibiotics, might pay more in pharmacy from 1st August. In the July categorization the supplementary charges decreased, but now they will be increased. In august, the Reimbursement Committee decided that supplementary charge will be increased by almost 1 300 pharmaceuticals. Patient may avoid the paying of supplementary charge by choosing the alternative pharmaceuticals, which is fully covered by health insurance company.
Last year state paid for its policyholders more than € 1.21 billion. This sum represented 84.13% out of total revised budget of the Ministry of Health. Originally the state approved for 2011 for its policyholders the sum in amount of € 1.97 billion. As stated by the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Health, Zuzana Čižmáriková, during the year the insurance settlement of the state for 2010 was increased by the amount of € 9.7 million.
Until September 30, 2012 it is possible to apply for the change of health insurance company. Until this date Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská should submit the proceeding and flowchart of creation of one insurance company. Insurance companies Dôvera and Union claim that intention of Government to buy or expropriate them will not affect their campaigns. Shareholders of both private insurance companies say that they do not want to leave Slovakia. Government have not negotiated with them yet.
Shareholders of Dôvera and Union know the current value of their insurance companies, but refuse to divulge this information. Prime Minister, Robert Fico, admits that to agree on the price will be probably the most demanding task in the process of creation of one health insurance company. Penta, shareholder of Dôvera, insists on its remaining on the health insurance market. It, however, admits that Parliament might not allow it. Penta is therefore ready for the negotiations on the further proceeding. Shareholder of Union health insurance company, company Achmea, expressed the regret over the decision of Government.
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.
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.
Ministry of Health led by Zuzana Zvolenská wants to have better overview about management in the state hospitals. This should be provided by the automated data collection from the information systems of the institutions. Ministry will learn more about the financial and operation costs from it. Ministry wants this way make a possibility to regularly evaluate and compare the financial and operation indicators in hospitals.
President of the Association of Hospitals in Slovakia, Marián Petko, plans to propose that hospitals should not decrease the salaries of nurses. Petko will promote and call on hospitals that even after the decision of the court some increasing of salaries of nurses will remain. According to him, it is logic, as the € 50 million reserve was approved and hospitals has already conclude the contracts with insurance companies. He noted that insurance companies gave a public promise to Minister of Health, that this money will be used for adjustment of salaries of doctors and nurses.
Dôvera will this year have to pay the instalment in amount of more than € 25.8 million from almost € 180 million loan. From this loan were paid the liabilities against shareholders. Last year the operation costs of Dôvera reached € 26.5 million, an amount identical to the one, which insurance company will have to pay this year only for the instalment. Health insurance companies, however, have the statutory limit on how much they can spend on their operation. In 2011 Dôvera could have spent on its administration up to almost € 40 million.
