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Tag: health insurance companies
Health insurance companies last year returned to policyholders by the safeguard limit payments for drugs of 2.1 million euro. Overall, supplements were sent back to more than 100.000 people. Insurance companies returned overpayments for the first three quarters of last year and the last quarter of 2011. According to Healthcare Surveillance Authority, the highest payment that was returned was in amount 1043.86 euro. Most payments have returned the largest General Health Insurance Company. According to the amendment of the Act that is in force since April 2011, entitlement to repayment surcharges begins if a quarter payments for pharmaceuticals exceeds the limit 45 euros for pensioners and € 30 for severely disabled person by more than three euros.
The Luxembourg court regulated the attachment of Slovak assets in the amount of € 29.5 million. The money that is presently on multiple accounts in Luxembourg banks should be put in a special account, where stay out of the reach of the Slovak Republic. Execution applied Netherlands company Achmea, owner of health insurance company Union, after it has won the arbitral tribunal with the Slovakia in December 2012 due to prohibition on profits. Ministry of Finance argues that the state does not miss the money, until it is just “locked”, money still belongs to Slovakia. Slovakia requested the annulment of the arbitral tribunal in Germany, but tribunal has not decided yet.
Government approved the draft of terms of the public procurement for the counsellor for the introduction of a unitary system of public health insurance. The counsellor should appreciate for example the value of private health insurance companies. As can be seen from the material, conditions are set so that participate on procurement can only firms with experience. More concrete, they must have had at least three contracts in the last three years, for which received at least half a million. The condition of high rewards is not liked by more lawyers. Reward for counsellor may vary at three million. The Ministry of Health justified the price by the fact that such large and complex transactions require the participation of a qualified counsellor with human and technical capacities, and sufficient expertise. Counsellor should be known in August. Contracting authority is Company for introduction of unitary system of public health insurance.
Association of Hospital in Slovakia (AHS) has recommended to hospitals which associate to not sign the contracts with health insurance company Union. Association attitude will change only if the smallest private health insurance company Union raises payments to hospitals for five to ten per cent. This condition is based on the attitude of the state General Health Insurance Company (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa – VšZP), which stated that if the amount of the payments by competitor will not be the same, the company will withdraw contracts with hospitals. Lower payments to hospitals currently give only health insurance company Union. General Health Insurance Company (GHIC) submits a proposal for new terms and conditions to AHS. In it is included the condition that if hospital will have a contract with an insurance company competitive with lower prices for finished hospitalization than is paid by General Health Insurance Company, GHIC will pays only the price of competition.
If and when will be the one state insurance company, is uncertain. Since the beginning of May should came into force Act, which is necessary for its implementation. However, Ministry of Health has not yet given the Act to the commentary proceeding. "It will be soon," claims Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenska for several weeks. According to the original schedule, approved by the Government, this Act should have already become effective from 1st May. From December to April the state should chose a consultant who can valuate the insurance companies. The choosing process even did not begin. Why is it so, the Ministry does not say. Although Zvolenska plan is late, she promises that the Act will be not accepted by accelerated procedure. Dates are according to the spokeswoman only preliminary and final date of introduction of one state insurance company will be right on time.
Health insurance companies will return for the fourth quarter of 2012 hundreds of thousands euros for surcharges for thousands of disabled and retired patients. Policyholders will receive the money automatically to the account, so there is no need to apply for them. General Health Insurance Company will send back surcharges for pharmaceuticals to 23.517 policyholders, in amount € 448.206. Health Insurance company Dôvera will send back surcharges for pharmaceuticals to 5.886 policyholders, in total amount of 112.213 euros. Union Health Insurance Company will return to 1.500 policyholders the payments in total amount of more than € 30.600.
Prime Minister Robert Fico admitted that one insurance company does not have to be in January 2014, as the government planned. Minister Zuzana Zvolenska says that the planned date of one insurance company is still real. The plan of project is written that from May will be valid a new Act of transformation and by the end of this month will be finished the public procurement on advisor for the project. However, Ministry has not started the selection procedure and has not introduced the proposal of new law. Approval of new Act takes about three to four months. Ministry of Health Zuzana Zvolenska promised that this deadline will not be shortened. Submission of an Act of transformation and public procurement on advisor to the Ministry is expected in the coming days. When exactly it will be Ministry did not say.
Selling "irrelevant and unimportant" state assets, which is for Slovakia virtually useless, will ensure the country more money than is necessary to expropriate two private health companies said for television TA3 Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD). Fico thinks that the state should not be worry of extreme solutions like expropriation of health insurance companies. He noted that the possibility of such action is enshrined in the constitution in all EU member states.
Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health this week founded the Company for unitarization. It should legally and economically assess the status of private insurance companies, which will be purchased or expropriated. It will also manage the liabilities of shareholders. CEO and Chairman of the Board is Martin Senčák, who is also head of the Office at Ministry of Health. The remaining board members are the Secretaries of Ministry of Health Peter Burian and Peter Pellegrini. Owners of private insurance companies still do not want to voluntarily leave the health insurance market.
According to the survey by the Institute for Public Affairs and Agency Focus, cancellation of plurality health insurance system and introduction of one insurance company considered as right 41% of Slovaks and 46% wrong. Did not kwon 13% of respondents. Approval of the introduction of a unitary system of public health insurance is supported by less educated people; workers in unskilled manual professions and people older than 65. Significantly more critical are people with higher education, performing skilled professions, such as students and businessmen, and residents of big cities. With unitary system agree mainly supporters of political party Smer-SD and disagree mainly supporters of political parties SDKÚ and SaS.
