Tag: health insurance companies

Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) promised the healthcare institutions to cover all the operations of its policyholders wainting on the waiting list over the frame of contracted financial volume by the end of this year. Health insurance company Union considers that as unrealistic. Spokeswoman of Union claims, that according to recent statements of state insurance company a high number of its policyholders on waiting lists is directly related to the capacity possibilities of healthcare providers and not with the lack of financial resources. 

Health insurance company Dôvera wants to clarify the many-months waiting for some complicated medical procedures. It has launched the internet application www.dovera.sk/cakacie-listiny, where patients may find out how long it is needed to wait for example for total knee or hip replacement, intraocular lens implantation or the reconstructive surgery on the peripheral arteries. Medical procedures can be sorted by hospitals and it is possible to see how long it is necessary to wait for them in average or how many patients are registered in the waiting list. 

Health insurance companies have pulled out all the weapons and after the years of silence launched the advertising campaigns for recruiting of new policyholders. They have paid for TV spots, billboards and flyers. According to analysts this way they react to the plans of Government to create only one state insurance company, while the state would probably purchase the private insurance companies. If private insurance companies manage to get more policyholders, they would be able to ask state for more money by their purchasing. 

Expropriation of private health insurance companies, which in the context of creation of one state health insurance company Government concedes, allegedly does not have to be that easy. Analysis of health insurance company Union reportedly says that legal requirements for expropriation are not met. Dutch shareholder of Union health insurance company, Achmea company, already announced its interest to stay in Slovak market and informed also the Government. Government, however, has not been communicating with insurance companies about the preparing changes yet.

Zuzana Zvolenská in online interview with readers of daily Pravda stated that for Ministry is essential that all money collected in health insurance will be directed to the healthcare system. As she further said, in the years 2006 to 2011 private health insurance companies reached the profit in amount of € 500 million, while newly all this money will be returned where they belong – to payments of health care of citizens.

Private health insurance company Dôvera has reported for the first half of this year historically lowest profit, € 200 000. This time last year this insurance company reached the profit in amount of € 18 million, by the end of last year it was € 39 million. Union health insurance company and Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) got, compared to previous years, significantly better. Both insurance companies, however, deny that this was at the expense of unpaid care for patients. 

Union health insurance company considers the promoted opinions of some civil initiatives and politicians calling for departure of policyholders from private health insurance companies as unacceptable and against the rules of fair competition. Member of Parliament Daniel Lipšic (independent) and civil initiation Vízia 21 called public for migration of policyholders to state General Health Insurance Company in the frame of plan to create only one health insurance company. Union considers as very unfortunate, if the discussion on the future of public health insurance narrows only to an effort to solve the problems with financial group owning one of the health insurance companies. 

Policyholders of private health insurance company Dôvera may in these days expect the overpayments from annual settlement of health insurance for the last year. Through the overpayments the insurance company is returning more than € 17.7 million. Until the end of August Dôvera has sent to its policyholders more than 124 000 annual settlements, result of which is an overpayment or underpayment.   

Healthcare Surveillance Authority on the basis of data from health insurance companies pre-listed by the end of July totally 100 920 applications for the change of insurance company from next year. Policyholders are able to change the health insurance company only once a year. If policyholder wants to change the insurance company from January 1, 2013, the application has to be submitted until September 30, 2012. Last year totally 162 399 applications were submitted, of which 5 068 were not accepted by the Authority due to different mistakes. From January 1, 2012 thereby totally 157 331 policyholders have changed the health insurance company.

Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa - VšZP (General Health Insurance Company) has in the last few days registered several attempts at fraudulent collecting of debts from its policyholders. Unknown offender under the auspices of Coface Slovakia CMS company has sent to for now unknown number of insured the reminders regarding the outstanding contributions together with the call for their payment. VsŽP will take further legal action in connection with the fraudulent proceeding of unknown offender.