The Slovenian parliament adopted a bill Thursday that will turn supplementary health insurance – a flat-rate monthly payment required for most national health services – into a mandatory contribution attached to regular health insurance premiums.
After private insurers announced considerable price hikes earlier this year, the government decided to scrap supplementary insurance, arguing that they are losing money since the cost of services has skyrocketed.
The insurers were initially accused of taking advantage of inflation to fill their pockets, but calculations by ZZZS and insurers’ own balance sheets show they are indeed losing money on health insurance.
The mandatory contribution will be collected by the public health insurance fund, ZZZS, which already collects mandatory health insurance contributions, which are progressive and paid as a percentage of one’s income.
The reformed system is scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2024. In the meantime, the supplementary health insurance premium, now collected by three private insurance companies, has been frozen at just over €35 per month per person.
The law determines that shortfalls will be covered by the budget, which is seen as the biggest risk of the new system and which posed an obstacle to attempts to scrap top-up health insurance in the past.
To alleviate the concerns, a budget safeguard was introduced during the legislative process to limit budget liability to €240 million in 2024. Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič has said that a more comprehensive solution should be found.
The bill reforming the Health Care and Health Insurance Act was adopted with 51 votes in favour and 29 against after a debate that had the ruling coalition hail the abolishment of the top-up health insurance as a “historic moment” – something governments attempted in the past but without success.
(Ela Petrovčič | sta.si)
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