Tag: patients

Patient last year paid for surcharges approximately € 175.7 million, what is 8.3% more than in 2010. Compared to 2008 people paid even by € 21 million more. This negative growth should be stopped by the new categorization of pharmaceuticals, which is, according to the Association of Suppliers of Pharmaceuticals, being prepared at the Ministry of Health. Surcharges for pharmaceuticals should be increased in average by 5%. More than a half of surcharges or their increasing will be in the group of pharmaceuticals for cardiovascular diseases. 

Patients last year paid through surcharges € 13 million more than in 2010. But payment of health insurance companies in this category decreased by € 65 million. Totally it was spent 90.6 million of packages of pharmaceuticals on prescription. Payment for them amounted € 1.07 billion. In 2010 it was € 1.13 billion. Decrease was caused especially by legislation changes, which have shifted some pharmaceuticals from the category of pharmaceuticals on prescription to other categories.

While health insurance companies are reporting profits, patients are still waiting for some examinations or planned operation for months. Patient organization calls on insurance companies to make first step forward the transparency of waiting lists system. This should be the publishing of waiting times in particular hospitals for diagnostic procedures or operations. Health insurance companies defend from it and do not want to publish the waiting times, until the law tells them to. Ministry of Health, however, intends to wait, until the need of change of the law will be shown by the practice.

Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská called on patients not to pay anything in the outpatient clinics. She pointed out that Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) has ensured everything so people do not have to pay for pharmaceuticals and examinations. Head of the Ministry therefore asked patients not to support doctors in their approach when they, according to her, abuse patients to force the state insurance company to agree to their excessive terms. 

Despite the promises of outpatient care doctors that they will not charge patients for the visit in first week of July from today they will draw the check to chronic patients for some performances. Policyholders of Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) will thus pay by the visit of specialist or general practitioner for example for blood taking, laboratory examination, ultrasound examination or x-ray examination. VšZP advises its policyholders not to pay in outpatient clinics and despite the non-contract relationship plans to cover the examinations to doctors.

Patients may have to pay out of pocket for the treatment in the outpatient clinics. Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (VšZP, General Health Insurance Company) and insurance company Union were not able to make an agreement with doctors on new contracts from July 1st. VšZP offers 6.5% increase of monthly payments to general practitioners and 5% to specialists, while doctors are asking for 20%. Insurance companies claim that requirements of doctors do not meet their resources.

Health insurance companies will refund to policyholders more co-payments for pharmaceuticals than before. This is the result of the extension of so called "protection limit on co-payments for pharmaceuticals". For first quarter the health insurance companies will refund the co-payments in amount of € 1.4 million to 64 043 policyholders. About two thirds of them are retired, the rest are handicapped. In last quarter of 2011 the amount of €87 592 was refunded to 5 834 people. 

Health insurance companies will make an annual accounting also for policyholders, who are expected to have overpayment. Act, withal, does not require this from insurance companies. Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) despite the fact that the act on health insurance does not consider these groups, will make an annual accounting also in the cases, when health insurance company does not have to, but may make an annual accounting because it will result in overpayment. Insurance companies Dôvera and Union will proceed similarly.  

Bardejov Spa was last year visited by 17 021 persons, of which 44% were self-paying clients and 56% of clients were reimbursed by the insurance companies. Average length of the stay was 13.6 days. Most of the visitors were from Slovakia, followed by the clients from Czech Republic, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Austria and other countries. In this year Spa prepared for the visitors new attractions, rich cultural and social program and again invested into the reconstructions of the housing facilities. Bardejov Spa is currently allegedly one of the best-equipped medical institutions. 

Union Health Insurance Company started on Wednesday according to the amendment to the act on health insurance companies to pay the overpayments for pharmaceuticals. The claim for overpayments for pharmaceuticals for first quarter of this year accrued for 2 848 policyholders in total amount of € 62 866. This is money that pensioners and disabled people paid in first quarter of this year for pharmaceuticals over the limit. The limit includes all pharmaceuticals, which are partially covered by health insurance company.