Tag: Ministry of Health

Friday, 06. July 2012, 16:25

Association of health insurance companies in Slovakia considers the words of Prime Minister Robert Fico about the possible end of private health insurance companies as unfortunate and nonstandard. According to the President of the Association the Government should at first notify the shareholders. Those were allegedly not contacted yet. President of the Association also noted that in time of consolidation of public finances the out-buying of shares would worsen our economic situation. 

Wednesday, 04. July 2012, 13:08

According to Minister Zvolenská, the offer of Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) is four times higher than the annual percentage increasing of payments for providing of health care offered before. Doctors, however, still consider it as inadequate and are asking VšZP to add them 20%. Minister considers the claims of representatives of doctors as excessive. In addition, the offer of state insurance company is according to her information comparable with the offers of other health insurance companies. 

Tuesday, 03. July 2012, 18:14

The Prime Minister Robert Fico wants to hurry with the buy-out of private health insurance companies. They should be replaced by one state health insurance company. Prime Minister also informed that insurance company Dôvera did not refuse the negotiations on this issue. Strongly against it is Union Health Insurance Company. Vision outlined by R. Fico will according to Union not bring the savings of public resources. Prime Minister justified his intention by the fact, that private health insurance companies are taking from public resources in the time, when Government is seeking for reserves to consolidate the public finances.

Thursday, 21. June 2012, 15:06

Parliament approved increase of state payments for its policyholders, change of risk-adjusted re-distribution of premium and change of solvency criteria of health insurance companies. Premium for state policyholders will increase from July 2012 to 4.32%. This is how the governmental reserve of €50 million will pour into the healthcare system. New predictor will be considered in the risk-adjusted re-distribution among health insurance companies – PCG as the proxy of the chronic illnesses of policyholders.

Tuesday, 19. June 2012, 17:52

Ministry of Health plans the change in the system of purchasing of vaccines. Currently doctors have to purchase them by themselves. Until December they were delivered to doctors for particular patients by pharmacies and afterwards they were reimbursed by the health insurance company. Doctors in January called for declaration of emergency state, lately they agreed with Ministry on the simplification and elimination of some administrative barriers. In summer Ministry plans to open the act on pharmaceuticals and incorporate the mentioned change into it. Doctors would no longer have to finance the vaccines.

Thursday, 14. June 2012, 18:35

Payments for state policyholders should be increased to 4.32%. This results from the amendment of Jozef Valocký to the act on health insurance, which was submitted by Richard Raši. Originally the payment for state policyholders was on the level of 4%. This way the reserve in amount of € 50 million created by approving of state budget should get into the system until the end of 2012. Reserve should at least partially cover the lack of resources in health care system for higher salaries of nurses and doctors.

Wednesday, 13. June 2012, 16:52

Health insurance companies have to submit by June 30th to Ministry of Health the annual data on consumption of categorized pharmaceuticals for each policyholder for previous 3 years. Health insurance companies will submit to Ministry of Health by the end of June in electronic form also the data on annual costs of health insurance company on the health care for each policyholder for previous 2 years. This results from the announcement of the Ministry of Health, which provides the data interfaces for transmission of information.

Wednesday, 13. June 2012, 16:49

Ministry of Health issued a statement to the declaration of the Trade Union of Nurses and Midwives, which has accused Ministry of Health of the inaction by problem solving with ensuring the salaries of nurses. Minister according to the statement sees the work of nurses in healthcare as an integral part of providing of health care and stressed on several meetings, that she cares about the financial flows in system to be used for covering of wage needs. Ministry of Health is willing to conduct the constructive dialogue, but, however, refuses any coercive action.

Friday, 08. June 2012, 9:39

Ministry of Health launched a recruitment process for directors' positions in hospitals – subsidized organizations and National Health Information Centre. Current directors are appointed to the office only temporarily, after the Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská called out previous directors. Besides university and faculty hospitals the changes occurred also in the Institute of Nuclear and Molecular Medicine in Košice. For the positions of directors in specialized hospitals, which operate as joint-stock companies, Ministry launched the recruitment process in May. 

Thursday, 07. June 2012, 18:28

Situation, which occurred after application of the acts on increasing of salaries of doctors and nurses into the practice, is according to the President of Parliamentary Health Committee, Richard Raši, serious, even more serious, than it was originally anticipated. The financial resources, which were declared by former Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik as available on the accounts of insurance companies, are not there. As he added, the only resource, which is able to be used is the € 50 million reserve, which is in state budget for solving of crisis situations.