—
Tag: health insurance companies
State-owned Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (VšZP) prefers the private companies to public hospitals, according to daily Pravda. This applies in the case of MRI (magnetic resonance imagination). University hospital in Košice has been providing two magnetic resonances for couple of years, but from January this year the VšZP has a contract also with a private company there. This one receives more generous payments from VšZP than the hospital. While the monthly payment for two university departments are in the amount of € 75 000, private company is receiving € 125 000. The situation is similar also in Bratislava.
Association of hospitals in Slovakia refused the proposal of insurance company Union for modifying the terms and conditions of their contracts from April this year. Both sides discussed the proposal on Wednesday. Main reason was, according to the hospitals, the insufficient covering of the costs for mandatory increased salaries of doctors from the beginning of the year. The Association reportedly submitted its own proposal and insurance company should send its opinion until March 6th.
Besides Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) and Dôvera also Union health insurance company is planning to forward its old claims to Slovenská konsolidačná (debt consolidation company). Under the agreement between ministries and insurance companies the insurance company Union may forward the claims in the maximum amount of € 10 million and will get 22% of their value. According to its spokeswoman Union soon plans to forward some claims from years 2007 – 2008.
General Health Insurance Company (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa - VšZP) is planning to forward to Slovenská konsolidačná (debt consolidation agency) the old claims from premium in total amount of € 176 million until the end of this year. VšZP forwarded to Slovenská konsolidačná in the first step the claims in amount of € 7.2 million and will get € 1.08 million. As resulted from the agreement between Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health and health insurance companies, if interested, VšZP can forward to Slovenská konsolidačná the old claims up to € 176 million and will get 15% of their value.
Health insurance company Dôvera considers the current initiative of outpatient doctors as unnecessary. According to the PR manager of the insurance company the fact, that contract between Dôvera and outpatient doctors ends on March 31st, has been known for a longer time. Contracts will therefore ends regardless of whether doctors terminated them or not. Currently the new contracts are reportedly being negotiated. Dôvera should send the proposal until the end of the month.
According to the leader of political party Smer, Robert Fico, it is necessary to adopt some measures in the health care. Fico would first of all forbid the profit of health insurance companies. He also claims that state will have to increase the health insurance contributions for its policyholders. As another serious problem he considers the fact that state did not relief the debts of the hospitals managed by self-government regions, but only the state hospitals. It was an incorrect decision, Fico said.
General Health Insurance Company (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa – VšZP) wanted to transfer its assets to company's subsidiary. VšZP and the Ministry of Health wanted the Government to decide on the establishment of a subsidiary company of the state-owned insurance company VšZP. VšZP proposed to establish a subsidiary LLC and transfer its assets to it. The sub-company would manage it and the insurance company would hire it. After criticism, however, MoH stopped the proposal.
Outpatient doctors are terminating their contracts with the biggest private health insurance company Dôvera. The reason is, according to the President of the Association of Private Doctors, low payments. Termination of contracts applies to 3 100 outpatient clinics. This situation will currently not affect the patients, as the termination should be valid from the beginning of April. If doctors will not reach an agreement with the insurance company, they are not excluding protest actions.
According to the analysis of the health insurance company Dôvera in 2010 the audit inspectors discovered about 170 000 cases, where patient received the same ąmedical substance from several doctors. In the rare cases it was even 13 packs of the same pharmaceutical per person. Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa claims, that there are more than 200 000 people, who daily use more than 10 pharmaceuticals. Currently, the expenses on pharmaceuticals in Slovakia constitute 28% of total health expenses while OECD average is 17%. In relation to GDP Slovakia spends on pharmaceuticals even the most from OECD countries – 2%, while the average is 1.8%.
Association of the Slovak Hospitals and Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (VšZP, General Health Insurance Company) finally made an agreement. This is a result of a meeting of small healthcare institutions and the largest insurance company on the market. Association will allegedly recommend its members to sign the amendments to the contracts. Insurance company confirmed that they have agreed to increase the payments from the February 1st 2012. According to its spokeswoman this arrangement is, however, the subject to streamlining of the costs in particular hospitals, which will, however, not affect the availability of the health care.
