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Tag: health insurance companies
Project of creation of one health insurance company made by the Ministry of Health has aroused the Slovak analysts. They absolutely do not agree with the implementation of one health insurance company. Analysts are collecting the signatures under collective comment, which has been already signed by people from HPI, INEKO and INESS Institutes, M. R. Štefánik Conservative Institute, M.E.S.A. 10 – Centre for economic and social analysis or the Forum of Independent Opinions.
The presence of private health insurance companies on the market, according to the Minister of Health, did not meet the expectations. Plurality of health insurance companies has, according to her, overcharged the healthcare system. She considers the purchasing of private health insurance companies as the best investment for the future. How much it would cost, she could not say. Her predecessor Ivan Uhliarik claims that system of one health insurance company means a return 20 years back. He claims that it is necessary to tighten the conditions under which the private health insurance companies would be able to draw the profit.
81% of Slovaks agree with the possibility of choice of Health Insurance Company (HIC). This results from the survey of TNS Agency, according to which 57% of respondents have expressed the strong agreement with such possibility. The vast majority of respondents, namely 62%, according to the survey consider the control of using of money as a major factor for improving of the situation in healthcare system. It is a public control of resources in the healthcare system, which should be according to the President of the Association of Health Insurance Companies, Katarína Kafková, solved with higher priority than cancellation of health insurance companies.
Material proposing the way how Slovakia should move from the system of several health insurance companies to only one, is already in the world. Ministry of Health has submitted to the commentary proceeding „Project of implementation of unitary system of public health insurance in Slovak republic“. Material is still considering three possibilities of creating of one health insurance company, namely the management of portfolio, redemption of shares or specified assets or expropriation of private health insurance companies.
Some doctors are involved into the rivalry of health insurance companies for obtaining of policyholders. They are encouraging their patients to leave private health insurance company and convert into the public one. Activities of doctors should support the effort of Government to create the only one health insurance company. Peter Lipták from Slovak Medical Chamber called on his colleagues for the similar effort through e-mail. The largest private health insurance company Dôvera wants to defend through the legal action.
Health insurance companies will return people for the second quarter of this year € 373 494 for surcharges. In the frame of protection limit on surcharges the money will be returned to 21 685 pensioners and disabled. This results from the information of health insurance companies. Policyholders will get this money automatically to their accounts or through the order, it is not necessary to ask for them. Health insurance companies are returning money in the frame of protection limit for the fifth time.
Policyholders of private health insurance company Dôvera can newly be informed on the approval of planed operation in hospital via message. First they get a message informing them whether hospital announced the operation to insurance company or not, what usually takes 48 hours. Second message will be sent in the case of approval of hospitalization and afterwards they will wait for the date of accession set by hospital. Policyholders may also choose to get this information via e-mail or by message in electronic branch.
Association of Health Insurance Companies welcomed the effort of state General Health Insurance Company (VšZP) to decrease the number of patients on waiting lists. According to the President of the Association, Katarína Kafková, it is a confirmation of the fact that pluralistic system of insurance companies in Slovakia is important. This promise according to her added VsŽP to the standard activities of private insurance companies, which have money for operations in budgets. According to Kafková, however, there are concerns if the state insurance company will be able to fulfil its promise.
Union Health Insurance Company is currently analysing the project of implementation of unitary system of public health insurance in Slovak republic made by Ministry of Health. Union, however declared that its attitude about maintaining of pluralistic system of health insurance remains unchanged. Union is according to its spokeswoman interested into cooperation with Slovak government on such reform steps, which will lead to the increasing of quality of health care in Slovakia.
Ministry of Health is afraid that Constitutional Court may thwart its effort to create one health insurance company. Ministry is therefore seeking for possibilities how to implement the new system before this really happen. The best possibility in this sense seems to be the so-called simultaneous merging into General Health Insurance Company. Unification of health insurance companies should be implemented on the basis of Act of transformation. General Health Insurance Company (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa) should thus become the legal successor of all health insurance companies.
