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Health insurance companies (HIC) returned on surcharges on pharmaceuticals for the second quarter of 2014 to 22,000 disabled persons and pensioners. Within the safeguard limit on surcharges on drugs HIC sent back more than € 403,000. General Health Insurance Company will return 310,000 Euros to 16,933policyholders. Dôvera will return to its 4,001 policyholders more than 71,000 Euros. Union Health Insurance Company sends back more than € 22,000 to its 955 policyholders.
Economic results of health insurance companies (HIC) for the year 2013 decreased from the same period of 2012 by € 21.5 million. HIC reached profit of 68.7 million euros last year. Most has worsened State General Health Insurance Company (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa) compared to 2012. While in 2012 ended with a profit of 26.3 million, for 2013 reached € 15.6 million. Achieved profit was lower by about 10.7 million euros. Highest profit last year reached private insurance company Dôvera – 46.5 million euros. Compared to 2012 was less by 1.4 million. Another private HIC Union reached positive result of € 6.6 million last year. In 2012, however, reported a profit of almost 16 million euros. Revenue of HIC amounted to 4,316.9 million euros, compared to 2012 is it an increase of 274.1 million euros. Contribution collection rate reached almost 97 percent last year. Compared to last year, percentage of premium collection fell by 2.19 percent. Total insurance expenses in 2013 were at almost 4.2 billion euros.
The largest private insurance company Dôvera had last year profit of more than € 46 million. It is the most of all insurance companies. Dôvera gave its profits to a reserve fund and did not use the money to pay dividends to its shareholders. They, however, paid out the money from insurance company anyway. Investment group Penta and Cypriot company Prefto Holding Limited had together paid out almost € 150 million, of which Dôvera reduced the so-called commitments to shareholders in its accounting. Owners of Dôvera did not pay taxes of this amount. They did not have to. Formally it was just settlement of the liability, not profit. If you such amount was paid from profits they would have to pay 23 percent tax of it for more than € 30 million.
Slovakia succeeded in international arbitration with the Austrian bank European American Investment Bank AG (Euram). In 2007, the company acquired a 51 percent of the shares in the insurance company Apollo. The arbitral tribunal did not say whether Slovakia harmed the company Euram; in favour of Slovakia decided because Euram has also turned to other courts. Arbitration is now stopped. About who will pay the costs and attorneys' millions of euros, the court should decide on further session of the court. It is therefore possible that Slovakia will pay for their lawyers and even some of the costs; however, State does not have to pay compensation to 131 million euros, which Euram Bank requested. The arbitral tribunal may decide that lawyers and other legal charges will be paid by Euram Bank.
In late June, the owner of health insurance company Union, a Dutch company Achmea, has paid one million for loss arbitration with Slovakia. Achmea challenged Slovakia´s intention to introduce a single insurance company. Amount was nominated by the International Tribunal. Tribunal decided that because Slovakia has not introduced one insurance company yet and has not expropriated private health insurance companies, he cannot effectively decide. Achmea reciprocally expects that the Slovak Republic will pay the amount attributed to Achmea, as the decision by tribunal in the previous arbitration is also final and binding, states Achmea.
Slovakia won one of the arbitrations with the owner of health insurance company Union, the Dutch company Achmea. Achmea has appealed to the arbitral tribunal due to Robert Fico´s Government intention to introduce a single insurance company. Achmea argued that it is a violation of international treaties for the protection of investments. The Dutch company tried to avert the following purchase or expropriation of private insurance companies by state. How much Achmea sued Slovakia for, it is clear. The amount should Achmea quantified in further proceedings. The Dutch company now has to pay costs in the amount of 340 thousand euros and legal costs of Slovakia. The Ministry of Finance quantified these costs to over one million euros.
Health insurance companies (HIC) returned payments for drugs for the last quarter of 2013 to thousands of disabled persons and pensioners. Health insurance companies returned to policyholders by the safeguard limit hundreds of thousands euros. Policyholders will receive the money automatically; there is no need to apply for them. General Health Insurance Company (VšZP) will return supplements for drugs to 17.113 policyholders of which 9.966 are old-age pensioners and 7.147 are disabled persons. Overall, VšZP sends back € 325.667. Dôvera HIC sends back amount of 79.000 euros to 4.209 insured persons. Union Health Insurance Company returned payments to 1.281 policyholders of which 927 are severely disabled and 354 are pensioners. Together company will send 24.805 euros.
From 1 October 2013 Slovak Health insurance companies (HIC) will reimburse planned childbirth in the countries of the European Union. The insurance company will reimburse it up to a maximum average price for delivery in Slovakia. According to the legislation changes, for birth will mother pay directly in foreign birth centre and after that will request for refunding health insurance company. Reimbursed amount is the average price for the same performance in Slovakia. All three health insurance returned for childbirth about the same amount around € 600 for the birth itself and about 500 euros per child care.
Thanks to statements from accounts of insured the health insurance companies are able to uncover claiming of fictive performances or prescriptions. General health insurance company (VšZP) has noted also a case, when the insured found in his personal account that he was hospitalized even though he was at that time abroad. According to the words of the spokesperson of VšZP Dana Gašparíková, the statement from the account was last year requested from approximately 25,000 insured of VšZP. The insured of Dôvera, according to their PR specialist Monika Šimúnová take advantage mainly of the electronic subsidiary in which they see besides other things their own statement from account. The access to it has 315,000 insured. Health insurance company Union received last year 335 written requests about the statement from account of insured. More than 15,000 other people have the option to access it by means of electronic services of insurance company.
Health insurance companies do not receive from the package of money collected on the health insurance contributions the same amount for every insured. It depends on the factors of age, gender and economic category, and if the patient has some of the serious diagnosis which requires administering of expensive pharmaceuticals. The money is reallocated among health insurance companies by means of cost risk index for health care. According to health insurance company Dôvera the preciseness of estimation of the amount of the cost according to the cost risk index differs from the real cost by about 20 %. Until the last year was this estimation according to health insurance company much less precise, it was about 4 %.