Tag: health insurance companies

Head of politician party KDH, Ján Figeľ, considers as noteworthy, that the day when Prime Minister Robert Fico designated the creation of unitary system as irreversible, partner of investment group Penta, which owns the health insurance company Dôvera, has attacked the opposition parties and not a Prime Minister. This should have become by the open letter sent by Eduard Maták from Penta to Chairmen of parties SDKÚ-DS, KDH and Most – Híd already in late October, in which he protested against the statements, which should have scandalized the payment of hundreds of millions of euro to the owners of private insurance companies. 

On Wednesday was supported project of one insurance company by the Ministers from Fico's Government. Government for now approved only a project of implementation and adopted one comment. The schedule should be in first two points forwarded in two weeks. Ministry will only now start to prepare the concrete acts. They should, according to the schedule, enter into force in May next year. 

Intention of Government to create one health insurance company is probably unconstitutional, economically disadvantageous and against the patients. This was agreed by the leaders of People's Platform (Ľudová platforma), Ján Figeľ (KDH), Pavol Frešo (SDKÚ-DS) a Béla Bugár (Most-Híd). If Smer will realize its intention, opposition will according to Bugár turn to Constitutional Court. Leaders pointed out, that social democrats already in the past adopted the measures, which the Court described as unconstitutional. It was, beside others, the ban of profit of health insurance companies. 

Representatives of employers do not agree with the plan of Government to move to unitary system of health insurance, what means creating of one health insurance company. Proposal, according to them, does not guarantee the higher quality of providing of health care, ensuring of effectiveness of its financing and anyway this proposal needlessly monopolizes the system of health insurance. Material will thus go to the negotiation of the Government with contradictions. 

Discussion on improving of the situation in Slovak healthcare system should be according to the Association of Health Insurance Companies opened especially in the question of using of resources, which are directed into the system. The intention of the Government to cancel the health insurance companies is according to the President of the Association, Katarína Kafková, only a camouflage for damping of the discussion on control of finances in the system. As she also mentioned, the amounts assigned for the payments for health care are increasing every year, but patients do not feel the flow of money and therefore the key question is effectiveness of their use.  

One health insurance company, completion of Rázsochy hospital and salaries of healthcare professionals were the main topics of the discussion between Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská and Prime Minister Robert Fico, during the check day on the Ministry of Health. One of the most actual issues was the transition to one health insurance company system. As was stressed by Fico, they are ready to use all legal means to reach this aim, while they keep on relying on the schedule, which counts on implementation of unitary system from January 2014.

Ministry of Health wants firstly discuss on the project of one health insurance company with the Economic and Social Council and after that it will submit it to the Government. Government should have, according to the schedule made by Ministry of Health, decided on the project already last week. Despite this slip Ministry claims that dates of implementation of unitary system of public health insurance are not threatened. 

Slovak healthcare system has this year placed in the ranking of European Health Consumer Index on the 16th place out of 34 evaluated countries in Europe. The shift was recorded by the particular improving of transparency, informatisation of patients, as well as by shortening of the waiting times. Slovakia is according to the author of the index, Johan Hjertqvista, regarding the improving of healthcare system, an example for at least Central and Eastern Europe countries.  

Private outpatient clinics and hospitals joined the critique of implementation of one insurance company. Only one insurance company should, according to the estimations of the Ministry of Health, begin to work already in 2014. Private doctors and hospitals are afraid that one state insurance company will prefer public hospitals and outpatient clinics. According to the head of the Association of Private Doctors, Ladislav Pásztor, for them it means a loss of sharing of the risk. 

Plurality system of health insurance, according to the President of Slovak Medical Chamber Marian Kollár, did not meet the expectations. System of one health insurance company, which is being enforced by Robert Fico Government, could according to him bring the stable financial system, establishing of rigid rules for determination of the pricing of doctor and the stability of the doctor in the system. Representatives of Slovak Medical Chamber have met in Bratislava on the extraordinary congress, which main topic was to take a stand to prepared changes in the health insurance system.