After consulting the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Health proposed a revision of the benefits of health insurance companies. Benefits are financed from the same source as health care, i.e. health contributions and payments for State policyholders. It is therefore important that these resources bring maximum value for money to the patient. For example, since 2019, health insurance companies have provided a dental benefit that has currently fulfilled its purpose. Increased participation in preventive examinations was signed not only in better dental care.
The educational potential of increasing preventive examinations through dental benefit has been exhausted, needs to be reviewed and new versions of benefits targeted at prevention should be found, said Minister for Health Zuzana Dolinková.
Also thanks to the combination of dental benefit with a preventive check-up by a general doctor, the participation of insured persons in preventive examinations has increased more than it would normally have been during the period under consideration, informed the executive director of the Association of Health Insurance Companies Dajana Petríková.
Since the dental benefit has fulfilled its educational purpose, its provision in its current form will be completed by 30.4.2024. This means that until that date, the individual criteria of the individual health insurance undertaking for reimbursement of the benefit apply. Related applications which meet all the criteria set by the relevant health insurance undertaking shall be properly equipped.
The resources to be used by health insurance companies to cover the dental benefit by the end of 2024 will be transferred to cover other necessary outpatient health care in accordance with the programme budgeting decree.
The Ministry of Health is always looking for solutions, options and austerity measures to optimise the entire health system, which will bring additional financial resources and maximum value for money. The proposed review of benefits aims to find adequate alternatives that will be effective for both patients and the health system. The government of the Slovak Republic has already committed to the development and promotion of public health through effective prevention and targeted programmes in the medium term priorities of the PVV for 2023-2027.