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Tag: health insurance companies
According to daily SME from 30/01/2012 higher salaries of doctors from January 1st will be covered by the Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company). But the question is how the hospitals will handle further increasing of salaries of doctors and nurses this year. Overall, € 117 million is necessary for the salaries this year. For this, however, Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa does not have enough money, this year it will probably be missing around € 27 million. Insurance company wants to get € 14 million from the stricter pricing of pharmaceuticals and expects that hospitals will help to find € 35 million from more effective procurement of pharmaceuticals and devices. The remaining funds should be supplemented by the private insurance companies.
From April 2012 the health insurance companies should get less money for their operation from the public health insurance. Draft legislation by Ministry of Health reduces the limit of operation costs of health insurance companies. Ministry justifies this change with the economical use of public finances and the need of sustainable healthcare financing. Ministry estimates that this measure could save € 18.4 million annually.
Reducing the limit of operation costs of health insurance companies, planned by the Ministry of Health, does not mean that saved money will increase the expenses on health care. According to the private health insurance company Dôvera there are not known rational reasons why the ministry is acceding to this change. State-owned Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa has allegedly no problem with the drafted reduction of the limit. Another private insurance company Union (Eureko-Group) is being neutral.
Slovak Medical Chamber suspects state-owned General health insurance company (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa) of monopolistic behaviour and therefore appealed on Antimonopoly Office in August. According to the Chamber the insurance company is imposing unreasonable conditions in the frame of dominant position. The Antimonopoly Office sees no reason of bringing action against the insurance company. Despite of this the Office is reportedly examining the incurance company's contracting with diagnostic laboratories on unfair business conditions
Funds from health insurance companies will be directed to hospitals, in which doctors can take care of patients. According to spokeswoman of Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa if some hospitals will be unable to provide patient with the adequate care because of the physicians' protest, insurance company will transfer the funds to healthcare provider, which can ensure this treatment to the patient. Private health insurance company Dôvera has allegedly also enough money for both acute and planned health care, but everything depends on what will be the capacities of hospitals. Insurance company continuously discuss with hospitals and once the personal problems are resolved, Dôvera immediately approves another patient on the waiting lists.
According to daily SME from 12/11/2011 three firms that own health insurance companies and could not make a profit from them, are asking the state for over € 900 million. Act, which prohibited health insurance companies to make a profit, was drafted by the Ministry of Health in the past. This year the Constitutional Court ruled that such prohibition was unconstitutional. Parliamentarians therefore authorized the disbursement. Financial group Penta, which controls the health insurance company Dôvera, is asking the state for the highest amount – € 750 million. Shareholders of defunct Európska zdravotná poisťovňa are requiring more than € 30 million and Austrian shareholder of former health insurance company Apollo is asking for more than € 131 million.
162,000 people want to change the health insurance company from the January next year and most of them opted for the private insurance company Dôvera, which will grow by more than 40,000 policyholders. Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa will continue as the biggest health insurance company, but will lose its 61,000 policyholders. Private health insurance company Union grew by 20 000 clients. The insurance company Dôvera informed, that 2/3 of new clients are economically inactive people.
The control of The Healthcare Surveillance Authority focused on regulations compliance with the listings of insured persons waiting for the provision of planned health care revealed several problems. Control has for example shown that providers keep their own waiting lists and insurance companies do not include to the lists those patients, whose planned term of operation is longer that one year. Among other things, Authority also found that insurance companies do not keep lists for the screening mammography.
Private health insurance company Dôvera prepares for mandate administration of claims on contributions. It will cover 94 000 debtors with total debts € 45.5 million. Debtors were given the last opportunity to avoid execution. Obtained money will insurance company use for financing of health care next year.
From January 2012 more than 162 000 insured person want to change the health insurance company. This information was provided by The Healthcare surveillance authority. Further information about the amount of insured persons in each health insurance company will by provided by The Healthcare surveillance authority in November. Number of people who have decided to change health insurance company almost doubled since last year.
