Tag: health insurance companies

Project of implementation of unitary system counts on its introduction from January 2014 in the case that Ministry will manage to agree on buying of shares of private insurance companies. If Ministry chose the expropriation, one insurance company would be established in July the same year. Government has not negotiated on the implementation of the system of one insurance company yet. Before Government will decide on the material, Minister want during the tripartite negotiation with Republic Union of Employers discuss on the objections of employers to this project. 

If private health insurance companies will agree with state on their out-buying, there is a real risk that it would be at a price higher than their current market value. This was claimed by the Ministry of Justice led by Tomáš Borec. Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská claims that this is only a presumption, which may not be confirmed. Ministry of Justice in the comments on the project of implementation of unitary system of public health insurance warned also of the potential risk of non-compliance with European or Constitutional law. 

Introduction of the system of one health insurance company is according to the Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská not only about the profits. It is according to her more about the fact that Government has an obligation to ensure health care and she thinks that unitary system is a better way. She also warned the opposition members of Parliament, that even though they have questioned the profit of health insurance companies in amount of € 500 million, health insurance companies by themselves have not done that in the interdepartmental commentary proceeding. 

Proposal of the proceeding of merging of health insurance companies will come on Wednesday to Government without any major changes. Government will on Wednesday decide, whether Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská should continue in the plan of creation of one health insurance company until the summer 2014 or not. Her colleagues did not announce any objections against this plan, the objections in commentary proceeding were submitted especially by private health insurance companies. They tried to doubt the claim that if there would be only one insurance company in the market, there will be more money for health care.

If political party Smer implement the project of one health insurance company, it would be the biggest rubbery on citizens in the history of Slovak healthcare system. This was claimed by the former Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik. He does not like that social democrats are planning to spend the money of tax payers on payments for shareholders of private health insurance companies. System of one health insurance company will according to him mean that state will pay hundreds of millions of euros to the shareholders of private health insurance companies instead of investing this money in hospitals, healthcare professionals or patients. 

Healthcare Surveillance Authority registers 187 341 applications for the change of health insurance company. Compared to last year, when Surveillance Authority registered 162 399 applications, of which 157 331 were accepted, the number increased. As was informed by the spokeswoman of the Surveillance Authority, Radoslava Muchová, currently they are considering the applications and afterwards they will inform the health insurance companies about the list of those, which can be confirmed as valid.

Increased payments for hospitals were the main topic of negotiations between health insurance companies and the Association of Hospitals in Slovakia. As was told by the member of supervisory board of the Association, Marta Eckhardtová, they were discussing with insurance companies about increasing of payments for this and next year. Most of health insurance companies do not have financial resources for increasing of payments. Beside one health insurance company, all other insurance companies declared that they do not have money. As she continued, the only health insurance company, which has offered the increasing of payments even this year, was Union health insurance company.

State budget approved by Government is, according to the Association of Health Insurance Companies, actually unsustainable. President of the Association, Katarína Kafková, notes that concerns about real fulfilling raises especially because of the payments for state policyholders. Government, according to her, in the next year budget proposes the increasing of payment for state policyholder to 4.25%, but state will in real pay for its policyholders € 70 million less. The reason is that Government expects that number of state policyholders will next year decrease from current 3 350 000 to 3 150 000. 

Slovakia is still threatened by high penalties in two arbitrations and also in domestic courts. Disputes initiated by the owners of private health insurance companies due to ban of the profit are currently being solved by international tribunals. Courts are dealing with € 196 million for shareholders of Union health insurance company and former Apollo health insurance company. Slovak courts are solving also other disputes for totally € 688.8 million of taxpayers' money.

Association of Private Doctors is interested in cooperation with Ministry of Health on creating of unitary health insurance system, even though it considers the system with several insurance companies as the better one. This was stated on the general meeting of the association by newly re-elected President Ladislav Pásztor. He also added that Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská, who has also participated on this meeting, according to her own words expects their statements and professional help.