The government's plan to impose a state-owned monopoly in the market for compulsory public health insurance is deemed correct by 41 percent of people – but incorrect by 46 percent, according to a recent survey.
The poll was conducted by the Institute for Public Affairs (IVO) and the Focus polling agency on a sample of 1,013 people between November 7 and 13, the TASR newswire reported, citing IVO's Zora Bútorová and Oľga Gyárfásová.
The idea to abolish the current system – comprising one state-owned and two privately owned insurers – and replace it with a so-called unitary system enjoys support mainly among people with low education and among those over 65 years of age. Conversely, people with higher education and those living in major cities and towns tend to disagree with the cabinet's plan. The government-sponsored plan had more supporters than naysayers in Banská Bystrica, Žilina and Prešov Regions, while less than one-third of people endorsed the measure in Bratislava, Trenčín and Košice Regions. Supporters of the governing Smer party were among the chief supporters of the measure, while supporters of the opposition Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) and Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) parties were found to be most critical of the government's idea.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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