Compulsory public health insurance is granted based on conditions defined by law. (source: Marko Erd)
The public health insurance system in Slovakia is similar to those found in other EU countries. Its aim is to ensure affordable health care, and it is based on the principle of solidarity. The current system is the result of a series of reforms, the most significant of which took place over 20 years ago. Although not all the objectives were achieved, the introduction of competition in health insurance has yielded positive results.
“To name just a few examples: disease management programmes, incentive schemes for providers, digitalisation, telemedicine, subsidies for opening GP surgeries, an environment without spending limits, and so on,” Martin Vlachynský, an analyst from the INESS think tank, told The Slovak Spectator. “The downside is the aforementioned inability to create competitive insurance products, such as those seen in the Netherlands.”
Three insurance companies
Health insurance in Slovakia is not insurance in the traditional sense of the word.
“Although we are talking about ‘insurance’ here, it is not really insurance in the traditional sense, as classical actuarial principles or risk reinsurance are not used in health insurance,” said Vlachynský.
