PRIVATE health insurance company Dôvera encourages physicians in new addendums to contracts to inform non-payers of health insurance premiums on their debts or collect the arrears from them.
Psychiatrist Kornélia Fabišíková of Moldava nad Bodvou told the Sme daily that she is not going to be a debt collector for an insurance company. She wrote about her objections to Dôvera’s step on her blog. The Pravda daily also informed about complaining doctors on October 19.
“It’s the abuse of the third party or intermediary and this form is always considered to be sort of pressure,” psychologist Karol Kleinmann told Pravda. “Insurance company should directly approach patient and should not abuse the third person, particularly doctors whom the patient depends upon, to collect fee.”
Dôvera promises a percentage of the debt to those who will cooperate with it in debt collection. Current average debt is €1,140; therefore, doctors could earn more than €11 per patient.
“This is just a possibility,” Dôvera’s head Martin Kultan told Sme, adding that if doctors do not inform patients about their debts and do not collect them it will not affect doctors’ agreements with insurance company.
(Source: Sme, Pravda)
Compiled by Roman Cuprik from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
